Port Harcourt Airport not safe for flying, stakeholders warn

Players in Nigerian aviation sector have called for the closure of Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) over what they described as deplorable safety critical infrastructure.

Participants at the second day of the ‘Industry Engagement on the Review of Accident Reports’ organised by the Accident Inves­tigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) insisted that the number of seri­ous incidents and accidents that have occurred at the airport over the years made the airport unsafe for flying.

Participants explained that the runway, Instrument Land­ing System (ILS) and other fa­cilities at the airport have been in poor state over the years, adding that these had gravely contributed to loss of lives and equipment.

One of the participants, who craved anonymity on the sideline with journalists at the event, insisted that Port Har­court Airport was no go area for flight services.

Grp. Capt. Ojikutu (rtd), one of the discussants, said in his submission that most of the ac­cidents that happened at Port Harcourt airport were identical and preventable if the Nigeri­an Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other government agencies had performed their duties creditably.

Ojikutu also queried how often the calibration exercise of flying equipment at most of our airports, especially the Port Harcourt airport, are be­ing carried out, maintaining that calibration exercises are supposed to be carried out ev­ery six months.

He said, “Necessary things are not always done when these serious incidents or ac­cidents occur in the country. What is the category of ILS in Port Harcourt Airport? Whose responsibility is it to calibrate the ILS especially those in Port Harcourt airport.

“If it’s a military environ­ment, you can say they have signed to die, but what about the civilians? Most of the for­eign registered aircraft that we are suing for commercial flights who do due diligence on them? For how long are they supposed to remain in Nigeria flying? A lot are still needed to be done to sustain the safety we have in the industry.”

(Courtesy Daily Independent)