The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has issued authority to the Anambra State government to open the Anambra international cargo and passenger airport for commercial operations with effect from December 2, 2021.
The state Commissioner for Works, Mr Marcel Ifejiofor disclosed this to journalists on Thursday.
Ifejiofor said the approval was contained in a letter dated 1st December 2021, addressed to Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State.
He said: “The aviation authority said that it has received security clearance from relevant security agencies for the opening. It said that the negative security clearance was the reason the authority had declined approval for the opening of the airport on the 30th of October 2021, when the state government had scheduled the commissioning.
“In the interim, Category B aircraft are permitted to land and take off from the airport from sunrise to sunset.”
The commissioner praised the efforts of Governor Obiano who he said never relented, even while on vacation, to ensure that the Anambra airport becomes operational ahead of the Christmas 2021 mass return of Anambra people living in the diaspora, and other visitors.
“With this NCAA clearance, airlines already approved by the relevant authorities to operate at the Anambra airport such as Air Peace, Ibom Air, United Nigeria Airline and others are expected to start scheduling flights into and out of the airport immediately,” he said.