Journalists watched two test flights land this afternoon on the brand new runway of Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu.
COVER PHOTO: ONE OF THE PLANES THAT LANDED TODAY
The flights signal the completion of work on the airport tarmac, ahead of tomorrow, 30 August 2020 reopening date.
The journalists had a sneak peak at the rehabilitated airport runway, as expectations continue to run high in Enugu and the South East.
Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, and millionaire businessman, Arthur Eze, rode together in one of the aircrafts from Abuja.
The Minister said he is satisfied that nothing will stop the plan to reopen the airport tomorrow as scheduled.
Enugu Metro reports that major works are still ongoing but that the runway appears to have been completed for planes to land.
Remodelling of the terminal building, reconstruction of the airport gate and rehabilitation of access roads are activities in progress.
President Muhammadu Buhari approved N10billion for the airport rehabilitation after it was shut down on 24 August 2019.
Airlines adopt wait-and-see pose
As at this evening, it is not certain how soon airlines will resume regular passenger service to the airport.
Both domestic and international favourites, Airpeace and Ethiopian, have opened their online portals for Enugu booking.
They are, however, not allowing passengers to book online. While Airpeace directs passengers to physical booking at the airport, Ethiopian has no scheduled flights to Enugu all through September 2020.
This situation could, however, change once they are sure that the coast is clear to land their crafts, officials said.
Slug: Test flights land Enugu Airport.
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