Potholes and bandits force airlines to suspend flights to Nigeria

Potholes and armed bandits have forced international airlines – including British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France – to cancel hundreds of flights to Nigeria. The capital’s airport, Nnamdi Azikiwe International, will shut for 6 weeks March 8, while its ruptured runway is resurfaced, forcing airlines to divert to Kaduna, some 100 miles north. However, many airlines have refused to fly passengers to Kaduna due to the ongoing threat of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the region, where two German nationals were kidnapped this week. Govt officials insist the notoriously dangerous road between Kaduna and Abuja will be lined with police checkpoints. Airport passengers will be shuttled to the Nigerian capital in buses accompanied by armed guards. <br/>