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Asaba International Airport

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Asaba International Airport

Asaba International Airport (IATA: ABB, ICAO: DNAS): is an international airport located in Asaba and the whole of the Delta State, Nigeria. Located approximately 7.9 kilometeres (4.9 mi) east of the city centre, the airport facilitates both domestic and regional air traffic within the southern region of Nigeria. It officially commenced operations on 13 July 2011.

Asaba airport connects the commercial cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kano and Onitsha. It also serves other cities within the South-East and South-South region and is regulated by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. It was upgraded to Category 6 status in 2010. In April 2018, Asaba International Airport was temporarily closed to allow for facility upgrades. The airport reopened in June 2018, with Overland Airways resuming flight services on June 6, 2018.

In 2021, the Delta State Government ceded the management of the airport to Asaba Airport Company under a 30-year concession agreement.

Asaba International Airport was initially conceptualized in 2007 during the administration of Chief James Onanefe Ibori (1999–2007). The overarching objective was to build a standard passenger and cargo airport infrastructure in Asaba, Delta State, capable of accommodating aircraft in categories C, D, and E, thereby serving as an additional revenue source for the state. Asaba was selected due to its strategic geographical position connecting the South-East and Niger-Delta regions. However, the Ibori administration did not embark on the project.

The subsequent administration of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (2007–2015) initiated the construction of the airport, leading to its official opening on 13 July 2011. Despite the inauguration, the airport faced operational challenges, including infrastructural deficiencies that led to its downgrade by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in 2015. These issues necessitated significant rehabilitation efforts.

Under the administration of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (2015–2023), comprehensive rehabilitation work was undertaken.This included the construction of a new runway, installation of an instrument landing system (ILS), and field lighting to have the airport return to 24-hour operations. It was completed and the rehabilitation culminated in the airport's upgrade to Category 6 by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Following the completion of the facility upgrade, the Okowa administration commissioned a feasibility study, revealing that operating the airport at full capacity would be approximately 85% more expensive for the government to operate compared to a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Consequently, the Delta State Government decided to expand and modernize the airport facilities under a Private-Public Partnership arrangement.

Following the upgrade of the airport facility and the government's intent to invite private sector participation, the Delta State Government issued a Request for Proposal to select a Transaction Adviser and in March 2016, Delta State Executive Council approved the appointment of HALCROW Infrastructure Consortium as the Transaction Adviser to the Government to midwife the concession of Asaba International Airport.

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