The Deputy Assistant Secretary, United States Department of Transportation, Susan Mcdermott, has lauded the recent efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan at turning around the fortunes of the nation’s airports.

Mcdermott, who led a delegation from the Department of Transportation and the United States Consulate, Nigeria, made the commendation when she paid a courtesy visit to the Authority’s Headquarters in Lagos.

The DOT official, who expressed delight at the transformation agenda of  President Goodluck Jonathan administration, admitted that the Nigerian aviation market was a major player in the world aviation community.

 She emphasised the need to develop the industry in a safe, secure and efficient manner, adding that such effort would open up the economy of the nation to new investors and showcase the potentials of the Nigerian aviation industry.

 ”The need to be able to network in a safe, secure and efficient manner is germane to the development of any economy,” she added.  

Mcdermott noted that the DOT was impressed with the increasing passengers and aircraft traffic across the nation’s airports, a development, she revealed, prompted its curiosity about the plans of FAAN to make adequate provisions in terms of infrastructure. 

The DOT official, however, advised the authority to give priority to the development of security and safety in its plans to build new airports and/or terminals, and remodel the old ones.

The Managing Director of the FAAN, Mr  George Uriesi who was represented by the Authority’s Director of Security Services, Mr Wendell Ogunedo, expressed profound appreciation to the DOT for partnering with his organisation in its developmental efforts at the airports.

He also thanked the United States Consulate, for its seamless facilitation of travel documents of FAAN workers, who travelled to the United States for training programmes in the recent past.

The FAAN boss, who reiterated the resolve of the Federal Government to uplift the nation’s airports to international standard, noted that the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, had approved the remodeling of 11 airports, in the first phase of the transformation programme. 

He confirmed that massive works had begun at the different airports, with construction of new terminals at the Lagos and Abuja airports even as he  hinted that the ongoing remodeling of the affected airports would be completed at the end of the first quarter of 2012. 

Uriesi added that the Authority would continue to collaborate with other reputable aviation organisations, towards developing safe, secure and efficient airports in Nigeria, for the comfort and convenience of passengers. and other airport users.