Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta on Monday switched on the runway lights of Asaba International Airport with a call on airline operators to commence night flights to the airport.

The governor, who performed the ceremony around 9 p.m., said that “with the runway lights in place, the airport is now ready for 24-hour operations’’.

Uduaghan said with the current facilities of the airport, large aircraft such as Boeing 737 aircraft could land conveniently in it.

“We have just inaugurated the lighting of the runway and that means we are ready for night flights; that also means the airport can open for 24 hours.

“So far and as things are now, the runway can take Boeing 737 and its length can also take any other plane in the world.’’

Uduaghan said that although there were still some works to be done at the airport, “its available facilities could accommodate many flights’’.

He, however, said that the airport management would have to get approvals from relevant federal agencies to enable the airport to accept more airlines.

It will be recalled that since flight operations commenced at the airport in July 2011, two airlines – Overlands and Arik have been operating daily flight schedules on Abuja and Lagos routes. (NAN)