Owners of abandoned aircraft littering the various airports across the country have continued to ignore the 90 days ultimatum issued by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for the evacuation of their airport.

Despite the expiration of the ultimatum, which came to an end last year November, the abandoned aircraft are yet to be removed as directed by the minister.

The reluctance of the abandoned aircraft owners to remove the equipment which have become any eyesore and security concerns to airport users and the inability of the government to enforce their removal have been attributed to the various court judgments instituted against FAAN to frustrate the removal.

Presently, there are over 60 abandoned aircraft across eight airports in the country, with the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos emerging the airport with the highest number of such aircraft.

Other affected airports are Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Sam Mbakwe Cargo International Airport, Owerri; Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos; Benin Airport, Benin; Kaduna Airport, Kaduna; Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano and Maiduguri Airport, Maiduguri.

The abandoned aircraft in the eight airports have been traced to the following airlines: Space World, Okada, Arik Air (Airbus 340-500), Air Peace, Aero Contractors, Med-View Airlines, Capital Airlines, IRS, EAS, Dasab, Fresh, Nigeria Airways, Chrome Air, Albarka, Kabo Air, Triax Airline, Oriental Airlines, Sosoliso, Afrijet, Freedom Air, Capital Air, Chanchangi Airlines and Gas Air among others

Some of the aircraft are owned by the federal government, Brigadier General Muhammed Buba Marwa (rtd), Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom and other big wigs in the country.

According to investigations, apart from their airframes, most of the aircraft have become carcasses as they have been cannibalised either by their former owners or tampered with by unknown persons where they are parked.

Previous efforts made by FAAN to get the abandoned planes some of which have been occupying spaces at the airports for more than 20 years or more have continued to be frustrated by the owners who often used court litigations to hinder judgement for the removal.

Similar efforts by previous ministers to get the planes removed had suffered serious setbacks due to the involvement of the judiciary system by the owners”.

Reacting to the issue, a former military commandant of the Lagos airport who is also an aviation security expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd), expressed the fear that the unused aircraft may constitute security and safety threats to the aviation industry.

Citing how in the past, the sector had recorded unauthorised cannibalisations of parts from such aircraft from some airlines for the repairs of other airlines without the knowledge of the regulatory body, Ojikutu advised the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to come out with regulations on disused aircraft and the locations of storages relative to the airports/aircraft operational areas especially the operations/security identification zones.

His words: “FAAN should profile charges for the period of stay that should not exceed six months after which it should have regulatory authority to dispose such aircraft if the aircraft owners cannot relocate the aircraft outside the FAAN airports locations.

“Such carelessness or concessions would seize once the airports are given out as concession. Even the overnight or daily parking will no longer be free. The domestic airlines are better be prepared for the new commercial business plans, which were not in their plans.”

Keyamo had on August 31, 2023 during his maiden tour of the facilities of the Lagos airport gave a 90-day ultimatum to owners of the abandoned aircraft to get them out of the airports on the premise that their presence at the airports constituted danger to the airport environment.

Giving the abandoned aircraft owners three months’ notice that would afford FAAN time to expand the Lagos airport apron to accommodate aircraft that were still in service, Keyamo had declared: “A common sight strikes the eyes of passengers in airports throughout Nigeria’s major airports. This old aircraft belonging to bankrupt airlines shares the ground with on-duty planes and wears out in the weather.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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