The federal government has said it would soon shut down the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu for security reasons.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika disclosed this during the sixth aviation stakeholders’ forum.

He listed some of the reasons for the planned shutdown of the airport to include the bad condition of the runway, the landing aids, a market, a free trade zone, among others.

Sirika said the airport would be closed down until the state government removes all the encumbrances posing threat to safe flight operations at the airport.

He said the proximity of the airport to the market, which also has an abbatoir, exposes the airport to regular bird strike, recalling that an Air Peace flight was recently hit by birds and the aircraft had to make an air return.

“As you approach Enugu, there is a market which has an abbatoir which attracts birds. At the end of the runway you have free trade zone. The state government kept promising they would remove all these challenges. Enugu maybe closed down soon.