The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will be closed between February and March next year in order to carry out total reconstruction of its runway, the Federal Government has said.

According to the government, parts of the runway are badly damaged and would be fixed by Julius Berger over six weeks.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, told journalists on Monday that while the runway would still be put to use during its rehabilitation, the airport would, however, be shut for six weeks between February and March, 2017, when the mid-section of the runway would be reconstructed.


He said the President had approved the reconstruction through the emergency procurement procedure for work to commence on the facility due to its economic and administrative significance to Nigeria.

“From start to finish of the runway, it will take six months. However, we will be using the runway almost throughout the period except for about six weeks when the runway will be closed. That is when we are going to do the mid-section of the runway.”

On the six weeks closure of the airport to passengers, the minister said Abuja bound passengers from any part of the world would use the Kaduna airport as an alternative.