The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has barred untrained airport officials from driving on airport taxiways,in a move to forestall aircraft-vehicle collision at the nation’s airports.
The airport authority, in a statement on Friday, insisted that aviation officials must have undergone the mandatory airline drivers training and be certified appropriately by the regulators to drive on the airside at the nation’s airports.
A taxiway is a path for aircraft that connects a runway with another area of an airport.
In the statement signed by the Authority’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN stressed the need for safety at airports.
It was titled, ‘Airside safety; FAAN prohibits untrained officials from driving on the airside’.
It read in part, “FAAN is re-emphasising this policy to ensure operational safety, following a recently averted airside incident involving a Customs official, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
“With this directive, all airline officials, security agencies, ground handling companies, and other stakeholders are hereby put on notice to ensure that their officials, that have airside related roles, and will need to drive, are sent to FAAN’s training department to undergo this mandatory training before been assigned to duty.
“The Authority will no longer take lightly any act of violation of this directive, in the interest of safety.”
In the last one month, at least two mishaps have been averted at the airside of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
In December 2021, a speeding vehicle had a near collision with a Dana Air plane taxiing to take off on Runway 18L of the airport with over 100 passengers onboard.
The unfortunate incident, which happened on December 21, 2021, occurred barely one week after a landing Max Air jet almost rammed into a malfunctioning car being tested on Runway 18L.
