The Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr. Saleh Dunoma, has assured of the provision of a second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Speaking with newsmen in Lagos at the weekend, he said due to the increase in passenger and airline movement at the airport, a second runway would prevent deterioration of the existing one.

He said: "The second runway is very important; it is key to our operations. The present runway has deteriorated so much such that we need to do a major work on it to make it better. So the second runway will be necessary. You cannot afford to close Abuja airport because it is the seat of government and it is important to our economy".

He added that given the present rate of growth in the industry, the existing runway may not effectively sustain the traffic.