STATES AND UNVIABLE AIRPORTS

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has warned states against incurring significant costs in unviable airport projects. FAAN's Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, emphasized that the expenses associated with airports extend beyond the construction phase. In contrast to the six operational airports in Nigeria, such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, many state governments are proceeding with airport construction, despite the lack of demand.

This includes states like Anambra, Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, and Ebonyi, which have recently chosen to build additional airports. The report questions the wisdom of states spending scarce resources on unfeasible projects during a period of financial strain, especially when the federal government is grappling with borrowing to meet its obligations.

The ramifications of constructing unviable airports are severe. Valuable resources intended for essential infrastructure and public amenities are being wasted. Moreover, the surge in air ticket prices has led to a sharp decline in air travel, making many of these airports redundant due to insufficient aircraft. The federal government has already taken over a few state-owned airports and transferred them to FAAN for management, but none of them prove viable.

A case in point is the abandoned Lafia cargo airport in Nasarawa State, which was estimated to cost around N10 billion and was designed solely to be handed over to FAAN. The facilities at such airports frequently deteriorate, with some even collapsing entirely. FAAN is now attempting to secure funds to rehabilitate the runways at 17 unviable airports under its purview.

These unviable airports not only fail to generate revenue but also impose additional burdens on aviation agencies like the National Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET). These agencies must allocate substantial resources towards recruiting personnel, providing training, and procuring logistics to manage redundant airports.

Meanwhile, the states where these airports exist often witness deteriorating infrastructure in other sectors, such as education and healthcare. The lack of funds to upgrade existing airports means they rely on outdated facilities, rendering many unnecessary due to low passenger throughput.

The report argues that the primary reason behind the construction of these airports is often political rather than economic. Most airports serve the interests of state governors and senior government officials who benefit from charter services. Scheduled passenger services, however, struggle to break even due to low passenger numbers.

Consequently, most airports are equipped with obsolete facilities because of a lack of funding to modernize them. Given the clear indication that most of these airports are unviable, the federal government is urged to impose a limit on such ambitious projects.