Flight operations have resumed at the Hassan Usman Katsina International Airport, Kaduna, after the authorities suspended commercial flight operations in Kaduna due to insecurity.
Air Peace ERJ-145 landed at the airport at exactly 5:10 p.m. on Monday to herald the resumption of flights in the state capital since the suspension of flight operations at the airport in March 2022, following an attack by bandits.
Passengers and those who run businesses around and within the airport have expressed their joy with the resumption of flights at the airport but have called on relevant authorities to deploy more security personnel and ensure safety within and around the airport.
The airport manager, Adamu Sheikh, said more airlines were set to commence operations on the Kaduna route and assured that adequate security had been put in place for aircraft landing and taking off at the airport.
“More airlines are coming back, and we are prepared. We have the cooperation of all the security agencies; everybody wants this airport to function; all stakeholders are rallying around us to ensure that this airport is safe for aircraft landing and take-off,” he said.
The Air Peace Kaduna station manager, Fatima Ndayako, told journalists that “the airline returned to the Kaduna route due to persistent requests from our customers.“
She said Air Peace will have daily operations to and from Kaduna and Lagos, adding that “currently, Air Peace is the sole airline providing service between Lagos and Kaduna at the Kaduna airport, offering services with a capacity of 50 passengers.”
It was reliably gathered that Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani facilitated the return of flight operations in the state after meeting with airline executives in Abuja and assuring them of adequate security measures in place.
