Yemisi Izuora
The Managing Director (MD) of the Gateway International Agro Airport in Ogun State, Captain Dapo Olumide, has said that physical construction of the airport has been completed and the installation of the landing system, ramp lighting have commenced.
To ensure sustainable electricity supply, the Government is constructing a 2-megawatt gas power plant to serve the facility.
The MD, assured that the airport would be installed with the most advanced technology and would stand the test of time with the modern facilities and state-of-the-art aviation technology.
Olumide, while conducting Journalists round the facility after their 3-day training in Abeokuta, emphasized that as an international airport, it is imperative that it be provided with the latest trends in the aviation industry, emphasizing that everything about electronics in the airport is state-of-the-art
‘Everything about electronics in this airport is state-of-the-art. This airport has the most advanced technology, not because we are swimming in money, but because technology brings your costs down. If you have the right technology, it saves money in the long run’, he said.
“For example, in the Control Tower, you can see on the radar as far away as and beyond Accra, way beyond Yaoundé and Douala, even though the control is in Lagos; the feasibility is here, Olumide added.
The airport boss stated that the airport would be manned by officials of the Nigerian Customs, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Police, and other relevant Agencies to enable it to operate international flights.
The Commissioner for Transportation Engr. Gbenga Dairo giving a brief history of the airport explained that it was conceived to take advantage of its proximity to Lagos and to support the continued industrialization of the state.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya on his part noted that the airport is strategically located for easy access from all parts of the country, adding that it has been built to conform to global standards.
“We have done many things differently at the airport. It has the longest runway, four kilometres in length, making it a Class E airport that can accommodate either Boeing 777, 747, or the Airbus 330’, he added.
“The area where the aircraft are parked is the largest around, as it was built on 82,000 square meters of land and can accommodate about 20 aircraft when properly parked’, Akinsanya stated.
he disclosed that commercial flights are expected to commence when all the necessary approvals have been granted, assuring that everything used in the construction of the airport is of the highest quality.