The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has approved the commencement of commercial flight operations at the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport in Ilisan-Iperu, Ogun State.
In a statement issued on Friday, the authority said the approval, granted under Part 12.15.17 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs), comes with an Interim Aerodrome Operational Permit authorising the airport to handle scheduled commercial air transport services.
With this approval, a leading international aviation company is set to begin operating two weekly cargo flights from London to the facility, which will also serve as the designated alternate airport to Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Passenger flights are to be launched, starting with direct routes to Abuja and Port Harcourt.
The move is expected to boost trade, investment, and tourism in Ogun State.
It will be recalled that in December last year, regulatory agencies in the aviation industry, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), had visited the airport, hailing the quality of facilities put in place, as well as their level of completion.
They adjudged the airport as world-standard and a source of pride for Ogun State, saying that infrastructures at the airport, which included Control Tower, Weather Monitoring Areas, Runway, Fire Service Stations and the Apron, could rival any of their type around the world, adding that they remained one of the best in West Africa.
At the time, the Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards of NCAA, represented by Ango Mohammed, hadnoted a significant improvement in the state of facilities at the airport since his last visit, ‘’which is now at the level of any other tower in every standard airport around the globe.’’
