Federal Airports
Authority of Nigeria
Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is a service organization statutorily charged to
manage all Commercial Airports in Nigeria and provide service to both passenger and cargo
airlines. Generally, to create conditions for the development in the most economic and efficient
manner of air transport and the services connected with it. The agency has its head office in
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.[1]
History
Civil Aviation in Nigeria is a spin-off of the British colonial rule. But above all else, it is a product
of a mere accident of history dating back to 1925 in the unlikeliest of places – the ancient,
walled city of Kano.
The first aircraft to ever land in Nigerian territory are three Airco DH.9A of 47 Squadron
(Stationed at Helwan Near Cairo), the planes landed at Maiduguri on 1 November 1925, on their
way to Kano and latter Kaduna on 6 November, the air trip was Led by then Squadron Leader
Arthur Coningham.[2]
Sometime in July of that year the Northern
city was gripped by a tense stand-off between
the residents and the colonial government Federal Airport
officials.
Authority of Nigeria
The British government at the time was
maintaining an active Royal Air Force (RAF)
Industry Transport
base in Khartoum, Sudan. On sensing the
trouble in Kano, London swiftly signalled the
commanding officer of the Khartoum RAF Founded 1935
Squadron, instructing him to fly to the
Headquarters Nnam
Northern Nigerian city and report on the
situation. Flying a Bristol fighter, the pilot
made a breath- taking but safe landing on the Azikiw
horse race course in Kano, thus going down in
history as the first recorded aviation activity in Intern
Nigeria.
Airpor
Without air routes, maps or radio
communications the flight was regarded as "a
Abuja
particularly hazardous operation". So alarmed Nigeri
were officials that an idea was mooted that if
Khartoum-Kano was ever to be made an air
Key Capt.
routes it would be necessary to have
emergency landing grounds every 20 miles of people Festus
the way.
Keyamo
Subsequent flights were to be originated from
Cairo, Egypt where the RAF also had a base. (Minister)
The landings were so spectacular that one
Mohammed
Kano resident was moved to paint the scene
(the water colour picture was later acquired by Kabir Yusuf
the government). The RAF operations were
later to become an annual event, with IAP
frequency and route extended to cover
(MD/CEO)
Maiduguri.
The earliest known commercial aviation
activity in Nigeria is credited to one gentle Products Airport
man, "Bud" Carpenter, who owned the earliest
type of the Light aircraft, de Havilland Moth.
operations
Records show that he frequently undertook and
high-risk flights between Kano and Lagos,
using the rail tracks as his guide and piling up services
extra distance in the process.
In the early 1930s, an enterprising pilot carried
Website http://www.
a few fare-paying passengers in a seaplane
between Lagos and Warri. With the
continuation of the annual RPLF flights, aviation activities in Nigeria became quite considerable,
creating the need for aerodromes.
Consequently, a representative of the Air Ministry in London visited Nigeria to inspect what could
then be appropriately described as "landing grounds". Sites were selected at Maiduguri,
Oshogbo, Lagos, Minna, Kano and Kaduna.
Wing Commander E. H. Coleman, one of the earliest observers of the evolution of civil aviation in
Nigeria described the aerodromes thus:
It must be remembered, however that what was called an aerodrome in those days would by no
means meet requirements for even some of the small aeroplanes of' modern times. In the early
days it was considered necessary to construct several runways oriented in varying directions to
avoid cross wind landings and take-offs, as the older type of tail wheel aircraft was more prone
to swing than the modern nose wheel types.
In 1935, the operations of the RAF were replaced by those of the Imperial Airways that flew
regular airmail and passengers from London to Nigeria. These services thus pioneered
commercial international operations in Nigeria, although it was not until 1936 that commercial
aviation actually came to Nigeria. The Imperial Airways, the forerunner of the British Overseas
Airways Corporation (BOAC), operated large four-engined aeroplanes, known as the Hannibal
class or the Handley, on the Nile route from Cairo to Kisumu, Uganda. Towards the end of 1936,
a once-weekly service was introduced and another route, Khartoum–Kano–Lagos, flight, which
took seven days, was operated with a relatively small four-engined aircraft De Havilland 86 (one
of the DH 86's well-known passengers was Sir Bernard Bourdillon, who flew on the first ever
commercial flight from Lagos).
In Nigeria early pilots were brave[3] and had to weather the harsh harmattan and rainy conditions.
But there was one peculiar emergency landing near Maiduguri in 1937. Engineers were promptly
despatched from Kano. They arrived a day later on horseback with their tool kits. After some
repairs the aircraft was flown out and again placed in service: Records show that it usually took
a whole day to fly from Kano to Lagos in a DH8, considering its early technology and en route
refuelling stops.
WAAC was charged to "develop air services in and between West African territories". The airline
began services with a six-seater De Havilland Dove aircraft. Its Nigerian domestic services were
operated with the Dove while the West Coast services were operated with Bristol Wayfarers. The
control and administration of Civil Aviation were vested in the Directorates of Public Works of
these countries who applied United Kingdom Colonial Air Navigator orders as their legislative
authority.
On attaining independence in 1957 Ghana pulled out of the airline company, and in August 1958
the Nigerian government in partnership with BOAC and Elder Dempster lines formed the West
African Airways Corporation (Nigeria) limited (which would later metamophorse into today's
Nigeria Airways). This single, historic move heralded the genesis of the airline industry in
Nigeria.
On 22 May 2023 the federal government of Nigeria announced new managing director oF federal
airport authority of Nigeria (FAAN ) and the tenure will last for four years.[4]
Maintenance
When dealing with the complete range of complex systems in use for safety of air traffic
services in the environment, every minute detail is taken into account in planning for
maintenance infrastructures and logistic support. The following are maintenance infrastructure
and logistic support services necessary for efficient maintenance services that FAAN provides:
1. . External/internal equipment
monitoring devices
2. . Central maintenance
workshop/laboratory
3. . Other logistic support systems
External/Internal Equipment Monitoring Devices Currently, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
equipment/facility status and failure information are received through service operator/users
reports and many other types of diverse monitoring devices However, with the determination of
the Authority to improve services, more elaborate monitoring devices aimed at immediate
detection of equipment/facility failures are now envisaged to cope with the increasing
sophistication of various systems. The device with visual display in the equipment room will
indicate the configuration of all associated equipment in real time
Research
This is a special dedicated workshop/laboratory where specific system maintenance is carried
out to component-level. The maintenance, repairs, modification etc., of all analogue units are
carried out with conventional measuring apparatus such as traditional multi-meters, generators,
oscilloscopes, etc. The performance of these test instruments is checked and re-calibration is
carried out every two years.
Logistics
The procurement, proper storage and easy retrieval of spare parts are a primary responsibility of
the stores unit of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. In view of the very large volume of
spare parts stocked for every system, there are plans to computerize this sector in order to
enhance performance. Other vital factors affecting FAAN's maintenance capabilities include the
efficiency of public utilities like the National Electric Power Authority, NEPA (public power
supply), The Nigerian Telecommunication (NITEL) and the various water boards.
Operations
Airports
Owned and operated by FAAN:
1. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
2. Mallam Aminu Kano International
Airport
3. Murtala Muhammed International
Airport
4. Port Harcourt International Airport
5. Kaduna Airport
6. Maiduguri International Airport
7. Yakubu Gowon Airport
8. Yola Airport
9. Sadiq Abubakar III International
Airport
10. Margaret Ekpo International Airport
11. Akanu Ibiam International Airport
12. Sam Mbakwe International Cargo
Airport
13. Ibadan Airport
14. Ilorin Airport
15. Bida airstrip
Other operations
Murtala Muhammad Airport Schools (MMAS) operates its nursery and reception classes inside
the employee residences of FAAN in Ikeja, Lagos, near Murtala Muhammad International Airport.
The school's primary and secondary campuses are adjacent to the employee residences.[5]
References
1. "Contact Information (http://www.faanniger
ia.org/contact.php) Archived (https://web.
archive.org/web/20100526082531/http://w
ww.faannigeria.org/contact.php) 26 May
2010 at the Wayback Machine." Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria. Retrieved 8
September 2010.
2. https://archive.org/details/ConinghamABio
graphyofAirMarshalSirArthurConingham
3. admin (24 July 2019). "Brave Female Pilot
"Simisola" Saves 133 Lives After Plan lost
both Tyres on Runway" (http://toktok9ja.co
m/brave-female-pilot-simisola-saves-133-liv
es-after-plan-lost-both-tyres-on-runway/) .
TOKTOK9JA MEDIA. Retrieved 22 January
2020.
4. Babalola, Yusuf (21 May 2023). "Minister
Appoints New FAAN MD As Yadudu's
Tenure Expires" (https://leadership.ng/mini
ster-appoints-new-faan-md-as-yadudus-ten
ure-expires/) . Retrieved 12 June 2023.
5. "Home" (https://mmas.sch.ng/) . Murtala
Muhammad Airport Schools. Retrieved
16 June 2023. "Primary and Secondary
MMA 2 Bus Stop by FAAN Quarters Ikeja
Lagos Nigeria 08032488826 Nursery and
Reception Inside FAAN Staff Quarters Ikeja
Lagos Nigeria 08032488826"
External links
FAAN Official website (http Nigeria
s://www.faan.gov.ng/) portal
Aviation
portal
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