By Mercy Aikoye

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago says the Minna Airport is now operational and ready to airlift pilgrims for the Hajj operations in 2024.

The Governor who stated this in an interactive session with Journalists also said that the airport is already hosting chartered flights, including Boeing 747 planes.

Governor Umar-Bago attributed the success to his intervention which restored the Airport’s runway to its rightful position “as Nigeria’s longest and the best.

He said the airport has also been commissioned as the strategic surveillance base for the Nigerian Air Force.

“It should be recalled that after inspecting the Minna Airport runway, i was dissatisfied with the work done and Consequently, instructed Dantata and Sawoe to take over the job and complete it within 48 hours, which they did he said

According to the Governor, with the runway now completed, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has certified the airport for operations of all types of flights.

He noted that although the project is owned by the Federal Government and was awarded for reconstruction in 2014, it has long been abandoned.

The Governor said that the State Government has reached an agreement with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to take over the project.