By Joyce Ekeh
Passengers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, were left sweating and uncomfortable on Sunday after the air-conditioning system in the departure hall reportedly failed.
It was gathered that travellers waiting to board flights were left in an uncomfortable conditions, with passengers, including members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors returning from its 2026 Editors Conference, forced to endure the heat.
One of the passengers who was travelling from Enugu to Lagos, described the situation as unacceptable, particularly coming months after the airport was concessioned to a private operator.
“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,” he said.
Another passenger, who identified himself as Jonathan, expressed disappointment over the condition of the facility, questioning how an international airport could operate without functioning air-conditioning.
“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?” he asked.
The incident comes only months after the Federal Government handed over the management and operational responsibilities of the airport to Aero Alliance Limited under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
The concession, which was designed to modernise the airport, improve operational efficiency and attract private-sector investment into the aviation industry, was formally signed off in June.
At the signing ceremony, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, described the concession as a major breakthrough after previous attempts to concession the airport had failed for about two decades.
Keyamo, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, said the development marked a significant change in the management of the airport.
“This concession plan has been on for about 20 years, but it has only become possible under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Keyamo said.
He explained that previous investors had largely focused on Lagos, Abuja and Kano airports, leaving Enugu and Port Harcourt out of major concession arrangements.
“Today, Enugu has been successfully concessioned and Port Harcourt will also be handed over within the next few weeks,” he said.
Keyamo had also challenged Aero Alliance Limited to justify the confidence placed in the company by the Federal Government, noting that its performance would have wider implications for future airport concessions.
“Its performance as one of Nigeria’s pioneer airport concessionaires would serve as a benchmark for future airport concessions,” he said.
