Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria commences removal of abandoned aircraft, scraps to be recycled into aluminum as roofing sheets

Some abandoned aircraft

Lagos (WorldStage Newsonline)-- The  special task force on  evacuation of abandoned aircraft at airports across Nigeria on Thursday commenced the dismantling of a DC8 aircraft used by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),  which will be taken away as scraps aluminum for recycling.

This is coming a week after FAAN issued ultimatum to owners of abandoned aircraft at the apron of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos to remove them.

FAAN said the scraps will be evacuated to rolling plants in Ogun and Lagos States, for conversion into corrugated aluminum roofing sheets, sliding doors, windows and other small scale industrial use by the prospective buyers.

The evacuation exercise began from the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos and it is expected to move to Abuja airport .

The abandoned aircraft, 13 in all at the Lagos airport are expected to be dismantled within the next 13 days.

After the dismantling, the aircraft would be transported to a steel company for recycling into other industrial use.

Speaking to journalists at the site, one of the contractors handling the project at the Lagos airport, AAYU Steel Mills said the aircraft would be recycled in Lagos before being transported to the company in Kebbi State.

The Logistics Officer of the company,  Bashir Haruna explained that out of the 13 aircraft on ground, eight are Boeing 737-200 aircraft and assured that the company would do its job diligently.

Speaking on the exercise, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati said that the company was expected to finish its work in less than two weeks.

He said that after the completion of the exercise in Lagos, another contractor would evacuate the abandoned aircraft in Abuja.

Dati said that the exercise was part of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government for the industry, adding that the government would continue to provide comfortable environment for airport users.

He added that the contractors handling the project took it up without any financial commitment from FAAN.

He said, "Airports are not dumping grounds for any operator. We are more concerned about the safety and security implications of these aircraft at the airports. Even, there is an environmental implications for this. For instance, reptiles may hide inside of any of these aircraft.

"We are determined to create a world class airport environment for our users. Leaving them here now does not make any economical benefit to the owners. It's better we remove them from the airport and make the environment friendly to investors."

The  terminal manager, domestic of the Murtala Muhammed Airport,  Mr. Olatayo Oginni said that most of the aircraft were not serviceable as they lacked aircraft engines.

He insisted that there was no going back in the evacuation of the aircraft as the agency had given the owners of the aircraft an ample time to relocate their machines, which they failed to do.

Last week, the Federal Government  ordered the immediate removal of abandoned  and unserviceable aircraft littering the extended apron of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

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