Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has announced that Abuja airport will be closed for six weeks from February 2017 for runway repairs. All flights will be diverted to Kaduna airport, 188 kilometres away. The six-week closure will allow the mid-section of the runway to be completely reconstructed. The works will continue for an additional six months after the airport reopens at the end of March.
Kaduna has a 3000 metre ILS CAT II VOR/DME runway 05/23 and currently sees very few scheduled flights. Minister Sirika, quoted by Reuters, believes that the facilities of the smaller airport will be sufficient for the period.
The stretch of road between Kaduna and Abuja is a three-hour journey and is known to be dangerous. The Nigerian federal government will fund shuttle buses and the Abuja state government has agreed to provide security.
