The President of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA), Mr Victor Eyaru, has called for the construction of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Eyaru, who made the call while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos, said that a second runway would enhance aircraft traffic capacity of the airport.

He suggested that the construction of another runway at the airport should be done in such a way that the two runways could be used for simultaneous landing and takeoff.

“So, the new runway should be parallel to the current one because that is the only way they can be used for simultaneous operations,” he said.

Eyaru decried the closure of Taxiway Bravo at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, which had been out of operation for over 10 years.

“For the past 10 years that taxiway has been abandoned and the implication of it is that it is reducing the capacity of air traffic at the airport.

“It is also giving the controllers additional workload because that place is supposed to be used for separation of aircraft on ground,” he said.

Eyaru, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government for urgent rehabilitation of existing runway and improvement of airfield lighting at airports across the country.

He also urged the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to speed up ongoing upgrade of Very High Frequency (VHF) radios and other associated facilities in the country’s airports to meet industry standards. (NAN)