The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has upgraded the fire-fighting facility at Chinua Achebe International Airport (CAICA), Umueri, Anambra, from Category Six (CAT-6) to Category Seven (CAT-7).

Martins Nwafor, managing director of CAICA, disclosed this in an interview with journalists at Umueri, near Onitsha, on Sunday.

Mr Nwafor said the upgrade followed improvements in fire-fighting equipment and personnel training, which enabled the airport to meet the NCAA’s minimum safety requirements for Category Seven Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services.

He explained that the upgrade would enable the airport to handle aircraft requiring a higher level of fire-fighting and emergency response capability.

According to him, the development is part of efforts to position the airport as a major aviation hub and a preferred destination and departure point for air travellers.

“The NCAA has audited and upgraded our Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Service from CAT-6 to CAT-7. What this means is that we can accommodate bigger aeroplanes.

“We are looking forward to having bigger aeroplanes operating here.

“We just conducted a two-week recency training for most staff on wildlife management, which is a very serious safety issue in the industry.

“We trained them on airside management, airside driving, as well as administrative and human resources management,” he said.

Mr Nwafor also confirmed the introduction of Embraer 190 and CRJ 900 aircraft by United Nigeria Airlines on its Abuja-Anambra route, effective November 5.

He described the deployment of the aircraft to replace the previous ones as a significant development for air travel to and from the state.

The aviation expert said the aircraft would provide passengers with greater comfort and convenience while strengthening air connectivity between Anambra and major Nigerian cities, including Abuja and Lagos.

He, however, said the airport remained underserved despite the growing demand for air travel, noting that it was operating below its installed capacity because of the limited number of flights and operators.

Mr Nwafor commended Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines for servicing the airport.

He added that the Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM) system, which promotes coordination and information-sharing between airport management and airlines, was functional and effective.

“We have passengers; what we need is more operators to bring their flights here and also service other routes outside Lagos and Abuja, even though it is not going to be on a daily basis.

“We are still at the stage of route development because the airport is new. We are working with operators to develop other routes. We want them to service routes such as Kano, Bauchi or Gombe, maybe on particular days of the week,” he said.

Mr Nwafor described air transport as one of the safest and fastest means of transportation, despite its relatively high cost.

He said air travel enabled passengers to cover long distances within a short time, adding that safety remained the industry’s foremost priority. 

(NAN)