Regulatory agencies in Nigeria’s aviation industry, comprising the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), on Tuesday conducted an assessment visit to the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport in Ilisan-Iperu, and rated the quality of the airport high, thereby certifying it good for commercial operations.
According to the agencies, the critical infrastructure at the airport, which includes the Control Tower, Weather Monitoring Areas, Runway, Fire Service Stations, and the Apron, are of global standards and remained among the best in the West African corridor.
Speaking during the visit, the Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards of NCAA, Engr Gyang Balang, who was represented by one of the top officials of the agency, Ango Mohammed, noted a significant improvement on the facilities at the airport since his last visit to the airport.
He pointed out that the quality of work carried out at the airport by the Ogun State was commendable.
In his remarks, the representative of the Managing Director of NAMA, Mr. Tayo John, explained that the purpose of the visit to the airport was to inspect the facilities on-site to ascertain whether they meet the requirements for the provision of air traffic services and safety.
The Senior Project Manager of Craneburg, the construction company handling the project, Nicolas Mfarrej, confirmed that the airport project had reached about 98% completion, thereby making it ready for operations and socioeconomic benefits of the Gateway state.
Also, the Consultant on regulatory matters to the Ogun State Governor, Engineer Oluwole Adeyileka, explained that the key players in the regulation and monitoring of facilities for full airport operations had come to assess the level of readiness of the state, adding that it was noteworthy that they had been impressed by what the state had put in place at the airport.
In their separate remarks, the Manager of Gateway International Airport, Captain Dapo Olumide, and the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Ade Akinsanya, said the ongoing assessment was the last procedure before the airport could go on full commercial operations.
