* 48 hours after plane crash
The Federal government, on Sunday, re-opened Ibadan airport for light operations after the accident involving a HS 125 aircraft on a charter service.
The aircraft skidded of the airport runway on Friday with a serving minister and other passengers on board.
Reports quoting an official of Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said that many airlines including : Green Africa Airways , Overland Airways , and Air Peace operated flights into and out of the airport.
The official reportedly said: “The airport is fully operational after the closure occasioned by the accident.
“Green Africa departed for Abuja , Overland Airways departed for Abuja , another Green Africa flight from Abuja departed for Lagos with Air Peace departing for Abuja.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) said on Sunday that it had commenced investigation into the circumstances that led to the crash landing of a chartered aircraft whose passengers included the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
Unofficial report claimed that the airport does not have the requisite Instrument Landing System (ILS) calibrated for flight operations for the aerodrome.
Industry experts are worried about the parlous state of air navigation equipment at airports across the country, describing it as a threat to air safety.
Speaking at the Aviation Stakeholders’ Forum at the weekend, Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said the ILS at many airports are not working.
Confirming the state of facilities at Ibadan airport, a senior official of NAMA said the aerodrome has no ILS.
The Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, said most of the airport facilities do not meet the minimum international requirements.
In his remarks, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, berated the National Airports Management Agency (NAMA) for its obsolete and inadequate air navigation facilities.
He noted that the Federal government is getting concerned about the state of air navigation equipment at airports, saying many pending contracts involving obsolete equipment by NAMA would be cancelled.
Keyamo said the accident involving the aircraft could be associated with poor landing equipment by NAMA.
He added that the Federal government has evolved measures to ensure proper coordination among the agencies.
Part of the measures, Keyamo said, would to ensure that areas of overlapping of functions among agencies are streamlined.
To resolve the myriad of challenges affecting the industry, Keyamo said experts and industry players will meet soon to draw a roadmap for the sector.
The private jet, which also had some of the minister’s aides on board, was said to have departed Abuja Airport for Ibadan at about 6:41pm and crash-landed in a bush close to the runway of Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport while trying to land at about 7:21pm.
It was gathered that all the three cabin crews and seven passengers on board were rescued from the damaged aircraft.
A preliminary report on the incident issued on Saturday by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) noted that the aircraft was still in the bush at runway 22.
“At about 0825hrs of 03/11/2023, an aircraft with registration number 5N-AMM that conveyed the incumbent Minister of Power, AbdulWaheed Adebayo Adelabu, and his entourage crash-landed along runway 22 and skid off the runway into a nearby bush.
“The control tower reported on radio that he lost communication with the just landed aircraft and immediately called on the ARFFS, the AVSEC and other needed airport officials reported almost immediately to the scene.
“The 3 cabin crews and the 7 Passengers were all rescued from the damaged aircraft.”