Aircraft from international flights have been unable to land on the 18R/36L runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for several months because the lighting system was stolen. Reports in February indicated that the 18R/36L runway, designated for international flights, reopened after 11 months of maintenance. However, it has been revealed that the lighting system on the 18R/36L runway has been missing, preventing flights from landing there, especially at night.
“One of the runways is for regional and international flights, while the other is meant for domestic flights. Right now, all flights are using the domestic runway. The international airlines are still using the international terminal,” said Max Sule (not real name), a worker at MMIA, to FIJ on Monday. “International flights have to taxi from the domestic runway to the international terminal to park and disembark passengers, then taxi back to the domestic runway. This has been the case since March 2023.”
Sule explained that the runway was undergoing maintenance for cracks, initially scheduled for 8 weeks but later extended by 90 days. Despite plans to resume operations, nothing has happened between November and now. “There were rumors of lighting theft from the international runway sometime last year. That was what we were told, but I cannot verify that.”
Sule also claimed that international airlines might have increased flight costs due to the additional fuel burned while taxiing to and from the runway. Another MMIA staff member, who requested anonymity, confirmed the theft of the lighting system on the 18R/36R runway and claimed that the authorities wanted to keep the theft out of the spotlight. “The runway cannot welcome night flights because the lighting system that was fully functional before the maintenance is no longer in place,” the anonymous staff member told FIJ on Friday.
The staff member further explained that airport security interrogated workers and checked bank accounts in an attempt to find the thieves, but to no avail. “It felt like airport staff were complicit in the theft,” the staff member added. “The authorities are silent about everything on that international runway. International flights are using an alternate runway instead.”
On July 21, 2023, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) issued a press release about thieves caught at MMIA. The press release suggested a connection between the caught thieves and the theft of runway lighting. “At about 01:35hrs on July 21, 2023, the guards on duty at the Nigeria Airforce HQ NADC gate halted three cable thieves along the airport road by NADC perimeter fence, who were sighted digging the FAAN underground armored cable with the aid of a digger, shovel, and cutlass,” the statement read. “The Authority believes that this incident could be a relevant clue to unraveling the theft of the Runway Lighting at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.”
Rehabilitation and equipment installation at airports cost billions of naira. The federal government earmarked N23 billion for rehabilitation and repairs of airport or aerodromes and air navigational equipment in the 2024 budget. Agwagah Ikechukwu, from FAAN’s Freedom of Information Unit, redirected inquiries to the airport in Lagos or FAAN’s public affairs office. Obiageli Orah, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at FAAN, did not respond to phone calls, emails, or text messages from FIJ at press time.