The runway at Enugu's Akanu Ibiam International Airport will close "for major repairs and works on the airfield" from August 24, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said in a statement dated August 17. A date has not been set for reopening.
"This move is aimed at resolving the existing safety and security concerns for flight operations. A date to reopen the runway will be communicated in due course," the statement said.
Currently, only two airlines serve the southern Nigerian city. Air Peace (P4, Lagos) links it to both Lagos (14x weekly) and Abuja (7x weekly), while Ethiopian Airlines operates a 3x weekly connection with Addis Ababa International. Network changes implemented by Arik Air (W3, Lagos) in early June included the cancellation of its routes from Enugu to Abuja and Lagos.
In January, before the global grounding of the B737 MAX, Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema told African Aerospace that it planned to use its incoming fleet of MAX jets to open up point-to-point intercontinental routes, including one from Enugu to London.
