A closer review of operational realities at the existing Chinua Achebe International Airport in Umueri, however, invites serious scrutiny of these projections. Commissioned in December 2021, the facility has now accumulated roughly five years of service. During that period it has handled approximately six hundred thousand passengers and around eight thousand six hundred aircraft movements in total. These aggregate numbers equate to an average of fewer than five flights per day and roughly three hundred and thirty passengers daily across the entire lifespan of the airport. Even allowing for seasonal fluctuations and the gradual build-up typical of new facilities, the sustained level of activity falls well short of what would ordinarily justify the capital and operational commitments associated with a full international gateway. In the broader Nigerian domestic aviation market, where total passenger movements reached approximately thirteen million in the most recent full year reported, the contribution from Anambra remains marginal. Neighbouring facilities such as Asaba have captured greater shares of regional traffic, while established hubs in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt continue to dominate volumes by orders of magnitude.
Why Anambra does not need a second airport, By Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu
