UMUERI, NIGERIA — The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has upgraded the aerodrome rescue and firefighting facility at Chinua Achebe International Airport, Umueri, Anambra State, from Category Six to Category Seven, strengthening the airport’s capacity to accommodate larger aircraft and respond to more demanding aviation emergencies.
The Managing Director of the airport, Martins Nwafor, disclosed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday, November 15, 2026. He said the upgrade followed improvements in firefighting equipment and personnel training, which enabled the facility to meet the aviation regulator’s minimum safety requirements for Category Seven operations.
According to Nwafor, the NCAA conducted an assessment of the airport’s Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Service before approving the higher classification. The new category provides a higher level of emergency response capability and allows the airport to accommodate aircraft requiring greater firefighting protection.
He described the approval as an important development in the airport’s efforts to attract larger aircraft, increase passenger traffic and strengthen its position as an aviation hub in the South-East.
“The NCAA has audited and upgraded our Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Service from CAT-6 to CAT-7. What this means is that we can accommodate bigger aeroplanes,” Nwafor said.
He added that the airport management was looking forward to attracting more airlines and larger aircraft as the facility continued to improve its operational capacity.
The upgrade comes alongside efforts to strengthen staff competence and improve safety procedures across the airport. Nwafor disclosed that the management had recently organised a two-week refresher training programme for personnel.
The training covered wildlife management, airside operations, airside driving, administration and human resources management. Wildlife management is particularly important in aviation because birds and other animals around runways and aircraft movement areas can create hazards during take-off and landing.
The airport chief described these areas of training as essential to maintaining safety standards and ensuring that personnel could respond effectively to operational challenges.
The development also coincides with the introduction of larger aircraft by United Nigeria Airlines on its Abuja-Anambra route. Nwafor confirmed that the airline began deploying Embraer 190 and CRJ 900 aircraft on the route from November 5, replacing the aircraft previously used.
He said the introduction of the aircraft would improve passenger comfort and convenience while strengthening connections between Anambra and major Nigerian cities, particularly Abuja and Lagos.
Despite these improvements, Nwafor acknowledged that the airport was still operating below its installed capacity because of the limited number of airlines and available flights. He said passenger demand existed but more operators were needed to expand services and connect the state with additional destinations.
The management is therefore engaging airlines to explore routes beyond the existing Abuja and Lagos connections. Nwafor identified Kano, Bauchi and Gombe as possible destinations that could be served on selected days of the week, depending on commercial interest and operational arrangements.
He commended Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines for maintaining services to the airport, while also noting that the Airport Collaborative Decision-Making system was functioning effectively. The system supports coordination and information-sharing among airport management and airline operators to improve operational efficiency.
Chinua Achebe International Airport, which commenced operations in 2021, is a major aviation infrastructure project for Anambra State. Its development is intended to improve transportation access, support commercial activities and provide residents and businesses with an alternative to airports in neighbouring states.
The airport has also been working towards expanding its operational capabilities, including night-flight services following improvements to its airfield lighting infrastructure.
The Category Seven approval represents another step in that process. However, attracting more airlines, expanding route networks and increasing flight frequency will remain important to ensuring that the improved infrastructure translates into greater passenger and economic activity.
For Anambra, the immediate challenge is to turn the airport’s improved safety capacity into sustained growth in air connectivity, commercial operations and passenger traffic.
