Blackout at Port Harcourt airport

Blackout at Port Harcourt airport

 

The Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) has been thrown into darkness following a bush fire that engulfed part of the airport’s surrounding bushes on Tuesday, an official said.

Manager of Corporate Communications, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, John Onyi, confirmed the development to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

The fire incident occurred in the late hours of January 28, several weeks after a similar incident occurred at the same airport resulting in flight delays.

However, normal flight operations later resumed at the airport after three-days of closure, after the fire was extinguished.

According to Onyi, the latest fire incident destroyed PHED facilities, resulting in power cuts at the airport.

“The bush fire damaged over 14 high tension poles supplying electricity to the airport’s 33kv feeder.

“However, PHED technical crew have been mobilized to the site, with a view to erecting the poles and restoring power supply to the airport,” he said.

The spokesman appealed to airport authorities and travelers to be patience throughout the period repairs of the facilities would last.