SUSPENSION OF FLIGHTS
DIANNA GAMES: Airlines desert Abuja during repairs but may not return
The timing of the Abuja airport closure could not be worse, and is an embarrassment for Africa’s biggest economy, writes Dianna Games
It is less than a month to go until Nigeria shuts down the airport in its capital city, Abuja, and it seems that international airlines are deserting the sinking ship — for now anyway. The shutdown is scheduled for just six weeks to enable the defunct runway to be upgraded. South African Airways announced last week that it would suspend its direct flight from Johannesburg to Abuja, launched a year ago, while the repairs take place. It joins British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa and cargo carriers. The international carriers have eschewed the alternative offered to them by the government — diverting flights to the city of Kaduna, 250km north of Abuja. Security is a major concern. In the past few months hundreds of people have died in fighting in the south of Kaduna State and churches have been bombed. A three-hour drive through this neck of the woods is not attractive for potential passengers, despite the government’s plan to deploy 400 patrol vehicles along the route. Airlines have...
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