Benin Airport Gets Facilities for Night Flights

• Benin Airport Gets Facilities for Night Flights

The Federal Government has inaugurated facilities at the Benin Airport to enable it perform night flights as well as during periods of low visibility.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, said the Benin Airport facilities, which were among many others inaugurated in Lagos and Ibadan over the weekend, would guarantee safer flights.

“The operational capacity of the Benin City Airport has tremendously improved as we can now guarantee safe landing in reduced visibility and in bad weather condition. Aircraft can now land in Benin Airport at night. No more closure of the airport by 6 pm.

“We have both ground and satellite-based equipment at the airport in such a way that if the ground base equipment fails, the satellite base equipment will work to ensure safe landing at the airport either in the day or at night.”

Sirika said works had reached an advanced stage in building an agro-allied cargo terminal at the airport, adding that the work on the civil structures had commenced.

“We are bringing a cargo terminal to Benin to facilitate exportation of perishable agricultural products and other produce targeted at foreign markets,” he said.

He noted that the Federal Ministry of Transportation through the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had also constructed and donated a meteorological station at the University of Benin.

“The opening of the office is part of the effort of the Federal Government to boost transportation in Edo State, especially in terms of aviation and weather forecasting. The weather forecasting can also be used by farmers to provide information on when it is a suitable time for planting,” the minister added.

The Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, was quoted to have said the installation of the equipment and commencement of night landing facilities would enable the airport to compete with its peers across the world.

He commended the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency for their close working relationship with his administration for over a year and a half in ensuring that the upgrade became a reality.