There are indications that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) duly notified all airlines through a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) of a section of damaged section of the Abuja airport runway, which was supposed to keep airlines away for some time pending the repair of the bad portion.

Lufthansa German Airlines’ A330 aircraft bound for Frankfurt last week was reportedly forced to offload 45 passengers. According to a report, the decision was made for safety reasons after a large hole developed at one end of the airport’s 3,610-meter runway.

The aircraft departed from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to Frankfurt Airport in Germany with 45 fewer passengers, offloading weight to ensure a safe take-off on a shortened runway. A small hole that formed at one end of the airport’s 3,610-meter runway prompted aviation authorities from FAAN to cordon off the affected area, significantly shortening the usable runway for departures.

Investigation shows that – contrary to reports claiming Lufthansa Airlines pilots had to offload some passengers and luggage last week to achieve maximum take-off thrust because the crew was unaware of a damaged Abuja airport runway section – there was indeed a Notice to Airmen that was issued.

Findings revealed that in addition to the NOTAM issued by NAMA and FAAN, which manages the country’s airports, it also released a message informing all airlines of the issue and the planned repairs to the identified depressed section of the runway.

The message obtained by our correspondent was issued on July 23, announcing the runway closure and scheduled repairs, while advising airlines to review their flight schedules accordingly.

The message read: “Good morning, all airline operators. Kindly note that RWY 04 will be closed shortly from 10 pm tonight (24th July) to 4 am tomorrow (25th July) local time to carry out planned repairs on the depressed section of the pavement.

Furthermore, all flight operations during this period are advised to be reviewed accordingly. “Please be aware that operations have been constrained by the weather conditions and are guided by the forecast during this period.