Flight
EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a startling turn of events, operations at Port Harcourt International Airport came to a halt as wide-body aircraft were grounded on Thursday and Friday.
It was learnt that inadequate fire risk preparedness, leaving authorities grappling to ensure the safety and security of both passengers and aircraft. This unexpected turn of events has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of emergency response systems at one of Nigeria’s busiest airports.
This comes a few months after former minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, acquired 10 brand new fire-fighting trucks to the tune of over N12bn and deployed them to international airports in the country.
A notice to Airmen issued by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to airlines showed that the airport downgraded its fire category from Level 7 to level 6, meaning large aircraft would not be able to operate at the airport.
A passenger who recently boarded a flight from Frankfurt to Port Harcourt with one stop in Abuja complained of how their flight was disrupted because there was no functional fire service at the airport.
The passenger in a direct message to independent journalist, David Hundeyin, said, “I boarded a flight from Frankfurt to Port Harcourt with a stopover at Abuja.
“Upon landing, Lufthansa informed us that they can’t fly to Port Harcourt today and tomorrow because there is no functional fire service or fire safety in Port Harcourt and it is below their safety standard to fly. Currently, they are lodging us in a hotel till further notice or if we get a flight, we can reschedule.”
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