By Dickson Omobola
Passengers departing the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Sunday, lamented the failure of the air-conditioning system in the departure hall, with travellers forced to endure long hours of heat while waiting to board their flights.
The situation was observed by Vanguard, as passengers, including editors leaving Enugu after the 2026 Guild of Editors Conference, were seen sweating in the departure hall.
A passenger, Onyedikachi, who was travelling from Enugu to Lagos, described the situation as unacceptable.
He said: “I got to the departure hall at 10:52 and what I have experienced is unbelievable. Everyone is sweating. This airport was concessioned some months ago, yet it can’t be run efficiently.”
Another passenger, who identified himself simply as Michael, said the situation was embarrassing for an international airport.
He said: “We are at the Enugu Airport. ACs in the departure hall are not working. Horrible. Passengers are sweating. Many of them are editors leaving after the 2026 Guild of Editors Conference. This is an international airport? Who was it concessioned to?”
The development comes barely months after Federal Government handed over the management and operational responsibilities of the airport to Aero Alliance Limited under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
The concession, aimed at modernising airport infrastructure, improving operational efficiency and attracting private-sector investment into the aviation sector, was formally signed off in June.
The signing ceremony was announced in a statement by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, through his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood.
At the ceremony, Keyamo described the concession as a breakthrough after previous attempts to concession the airport had failed for about two decades.
He said: “This concession plan has been on for about 20 years, but it has only become possible under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Before now, investors focused mainly on Lagos, Abuja, and Kano airports. Nobody was interested in Enugu and Port Harcourt. Today, Enugu has been successfully concessioned and Port Harcourt will also be handed over within the next few weeks.”
Keyamo urged Aero Alliance Limited to justify the confidence reposed in it by federal government, saying its performance as one of Nigeria’s pioneer airport concessionaires would serve as a benchmark for future airport concessions.
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