The Ogun State government has announced that the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport is currently the best airport in Nigeria and the West African region, highlighting its impressive infrastructure, including the longest runway in the area.
This statement was made during a meeting with the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) at the airport, which was co-hosted by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya; the Commissioner for Transportation, Gbenga Dairo; the Airport Manager, Dapo Olumide; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade.
Mr. Akinsanya emphasized that the airport offers the most advanced facilities in Nigeria and the wider West African corridor, with a runway designed to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.
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He revealed that the airport, which is 95-98 percent complete, features a 4-kilometer-long and 60-meter-wide runway—equivalent to 17 lanes of road infrastructure—making it the largest in both Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He further explained that the airport’s expansive design, particularly its long runway, was strategically planned to support international flights, including those operated by wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350.
He said: “While the total size of the airport is 5,000 hectares, we started this first phase on 900 hectares, so what you see as an open space is part of a master plan because this is also an aerotropolis. There are going to be hotels, amusement parks, and cinemas in the future; that is all part of the master plan. You can’t put everything together in one day.
“Overall, where we are today, I am pretty certain that we are ready to go commercial. Once we get the approval from the NCAA for commercial operations, we will commence. Right now, we have the approval for chartered flights.
“The runway has been completed for a long time, the fire station is done, and you see the two fire tenders outside, with a new addition making it three. Right now, we are class six, and with that additional fire tender, we are moving to class seven,” he said.
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The Airport Manager, Mr. Olumide, revealed that once fully operational, the airport would be the first in Nigeria to hold an operating permit.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Transportation also highlighted that the airport is located within a special agricultural processing zone, one of eight such zones across Nigeria. He described the airport as a legacy project of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Mr. Olumide explained that the slight delay in completing the project is due to the government’s goal of achieving a new operational status, which differs from the industry’s standard practices.
He further noted that the operating permit would allow the airport to secure the ENCAS 2023 permit, which has more stringent requirements than the standard Aerodrome Certification.
“There are some people who have said, why is our airport taking so long, that an airport can be built in six months? What they don’t understand is that since the good old days of the FCAA, we have what they call an Aerodrome Certificate.
“With ENCAS 2023, it has changed now to an operating permit, and there is a difference between an operating permit and an Aerodrome Certificate. Even with the old Aerodrome Certificate, how many airports in Nigeria comply?
“We are the first airport in Nigeria trying to attain the status of a full operating permit. It is for that reason alone that this project is taking longer than it would have if we had opted for an Aerodrome Certificate,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the LAAC gave the cargo airport an A-plus rating for its design and infrastructure, stating that it currently boasts the best facilities in the country.
Suleiman Idris, Chairman of the league and Editor of the Aviation and Transport section at Blueprint Newspaper, spoke after conducting an on-site assessment of the airport project.
He praised Governor Abiodun’s visionary leadership and emphasized that the airport is a forward-thinking initiative that will benefit not just the state, but the entire South West region of Nigeria.
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