The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), provided an explanation for the closure of Akure Airport, four days after the incident, following significant damage caused by a heavy rainstorm on Monday.
According to FAAN, the airport was shut down due to extensive damage to vital infrastructure, including terminal buildings, staff quarters, and critical equipment.
Sources at the airport revealed that key equipment such as network time protocol systems, encoders, air conditioners, and computers were destroyed in the control tower and engineering units.
As a result of the closure, passengers scheduled to fly from Lagos to Akure were turned away and refunded.
One such passenger, Adetutu Muriano, expressed her frustration, highlighting the disruption it caused to her plans.
Muriano, who had an important exam scheduled for Wednesday, had initially booked her flight for Tuesday but was notified late the previous evening that the flight had been canceled.
This left her with no option but to travel by bus overnight.
“I had an examination today, and I booked my flight for yesterday only to receive their text message saying they won’t be flying.
Can you just imagine if I had booked the same flight for this morning? What would have happened? Is FAAN no longer functional? Why are they silent about the situation at the airport? May God help us all,” she lamented.
Another passenger, Babatunde Akinteye, who had booked a flight with Overland Airways, was informed of the cancellation due to technical issues at the airport.
The airline’s notification to Akinteye read: “Dear Sir/Ma, your Overland Airways Akure, Abuja flight of March 5, 2025, will not be operating as Akure Airport has been closed to all flight operations for three months effective today, March 4, 2025, by FAAN due to a technical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Despite multiple attempts to contact Obiageli Orah, FAAN’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, for further comment, no response was received before press time.
On Thursday, FAAN issued a statement via its social media channels apologizing to affected passengers.
The statement explained that the closure resulted from damage caused by the storm, which impacted both the terminal and control tower at the Ondo International Airport.
FAAN confirmed that engineers had been deployed to assess the damage and initiate repairs.
“FAAN regrets any inconvenience caused by this natural occurrence and is working diligently to restore normal flight operations.
We remain committed to providing quality services and ensuring customer satisfaction,” the statement concluded.
