Temporary Closure of Douala International Airport Takes Effect
photo credit:www.arikair.com |
The Yaoundé Nsimalen International
Airport will from today March 1-21, 2016, handle flights meant for Douala as a
result of the rehabilitation of the tarmac and other facilities in the port
city.
The Yaoundé Nsimalen International
Airport will beginning today March 1, 2016 be the theatre of air traffic – the
lone entry and exit route from Cameroon.
This is sequel to the
commencement of modernization works at the Douala International Airport with
the runway, aircraft taxiways and aprons expected to be refurbished as well as
the passenger terminal to be renovated and restructured.
At the Nsimalen International Airport yesterday
February 29, 2016, preparations were at peak, with all management and
operational staff ensuring that their operations are successful in all safety
and security.
In the main hall of the airport,
some 150 staff transferred from the Douala International Airport for the
three-week exercise could be spotted sorting out last-minute operational
guidelines.
The office attendants of the Director
of the Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority
where batches are issued and staff of airline companies who are temporarily
lodged at the airport, finalised preparatory tasks. T
temporary offices set up for airline
companies in the main hall and at the East wing of the tarmac are gradually
being taken up by their occupants.
Meanwhile, technical, logistical and
managerial aspects have already been handled, with the Cameroon Airports
Company, ADC, ready for the heavy traffic, stated the Director of the Airport,
Thierry Nkodo.
He revealed that that apart from Arik Air and Taag Angola
Airlines that decided to suspend their flights during the three-week re-routing
to Yaoundé, the other airline companies operating in Cameroon have confirmed
their flight schedules.
20 Flights Expected A Day
The hitherto near-idle
Nsimalen-Yaounde Airport will witness a pretty different scenario since it went
operational in October 1994. Traffic flow is expected to double, with close to
20 aircraft, as against close to 10 aircraft, expected to arrive
and depart every day. It is a busy
flight schedule with the first flights expected to have landed in the wee hours
of this March 1. The weekly flight schedule indicated that Turkish Airlines was
supposed to arrive the airport at 12:05 am followed
by two CAMAIR-CO flights at 12:50 A.M,
and 2:45 A.M respectively.
Other aircraft from airline companies
like Allied Air, Royal Air Maroc, Ceiba International, Air Côte d’Ivoire, Asky
Airlines, Kenya Airlines, Karinou Airlines, Ecair, Trans Air Congo, Rwand’Air,
Ethiopian Airlines, Cronos Airlines, Brussel’s
Airlines and Air France will also land
at the airport according to the daily flight schedule that will see the last at
11:50 P.M Over 21 flights will arrive and the same number will depart from the
airport this March 1. Two night stops have been
programmed.
Safety, Security Reinforced
The management of the airport insists
on safety and security measures. A safety and security assessement impact
carried out identified vulnerable areas that have since received reinforcement.
All safety and security threat indices at the
Douala International Airport have been
transferred to the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport, said Thierry Nkodo.
Measures to limit any threats have been put in place with access to some parts
of the airport strictly forbidden. Passengers
have been invited to scale down their
accompanying delegations.
Source: crtv.cm
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