Port Harcourt Intl Airport Gets A Facelift, Ready for Commission Soon

It was earlier reported in the media that the Port Harcourt International Airport is one of the worst airports in Nigeria due to its decay, old structure and all, all seems to be changing now as the airport is currently under renovation. This is the New Terminal of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, under construction by the CCECC as released by FAAN.

According to Wikipedia, the airport has a single terminal with separate facilities for international and domestic flights. In 2009, the airport served 1,081,587 passengers, making it the third-busiest airport in Nigeria.

On 18 August 2006, the airport was closed for repairs. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority stated that the emergency shutdown was in order to overhaul the runway and build a fence around the facility. Such maintenance had been in planning stages for several months, but an electrical fire on 17 August 2006 made repairs immediately necessary.

All domestic flights were diverted to Sam Mbakwe Airport (Owerri), Akanu Ibiam International Airport (Enugu) and Margaret Ekpo International Airport (Calabar), while international flights were diverted to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (Abuja) or Murtala Mohammed International Airport (Lagos).

Repair work started in January 2007, while re-opening was originally expected to be in August 2007. In June 2007, work was suspended due to safety concerns of the engineers.

In December 2007, the airport was reopened to a limited capacity. Operations were restricted to daytime until the first quarter of 2008, by which time the new CAT III lighting system became fully operational.

See more of the pictures below.