The Ogun state government said it has installed world-class standard lighting equipment at its Gateway International Airport, moving closer to the commercial approval for the aerodrome.
The government stated this in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Kayode Akinmade, and made available to The PUNCH on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the airport has met all necessary standards, as the State Government has installed state-of-the-art lighting systems ahead of the official inauguration of scheduled local and international flights.
At the time of filing the report, the airport currently enjoys the approval of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to operate non-scheduled operations. But the government has continued various efforts to achieve a transition into a commercial flight operating status.
The governor’s aide said that part of the systems installed includes a Category I approach lighting system, which guides pilots during inclement weather conditions on the final approach to landing.
He added that runway elevated end lights that also inform the pilots of their proximity to the end of the runway, and displaced threshold lights that provide visual guidance to the displaced threshold of a runway, indicating the point prior to which the runway is not structurally designed for landing, were also installed.
He further said, “at the airport are runway edge lights that provide lateral visual cues for pilots during takeoff and landing, and Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPI), which is a row of colored lights that, when properly aligned, visually provide glide path information to pilots during approach, helping them maintain the correct rate of descent to the runway touchdown point.”
Meanwhile, The PUNCH understands that, being a Category 9 fire cover airport, aircraft of all sizes can land at the airport at any time of the day or night, with an apron size of 82,000 square meters.
He further said, “Several top-notch VIP lounges and other aesthetic infrastructure have been put in place to provide high-quality rest areas with specifically designed spaces for business travelers to continue their work and hold meetings while waiting for their flight.”
Akinmade recalled that the Ogun State Government had listed the airport’s features to include a 3.4-kilometer runway, making it a Class E airport that can accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 777, 747, and Airbus A380.
