LEC to Deliver Liberia’s Only International Airport from Electricity Nightmare
MONROVIA – The Liberia Electricity Cooperation says it will supply the Roberts International Airport (RIA) with stable electricity on or before September this year for the smooth operation of the institution.
LEC through its acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Monie Captan made the revelation in conversation with a team of journalists ahead of its 50th anniversary at its headquarters down the waterside, central Monrovia.
“This year, LEC will provide electricity to the Roberts International Airport,” Captan said.
The government of Liberia has come under serious criticism due to the constant power outage at RIA.
A late-night power outage on April 27, at the Roberts International Airport, forced an inbound Brussels Airlines flight to return to Freetown, from whence it came.
The incident caused panic over the safety of the passengers aboard the aircraft. The power outage, which lasted for about 30 minutes, according to the RIA’s Acting Managing Director, Martin Hayes, was due to a power switchover at the Roberts Flight Information Region (FIR).
The Roberts International Airport, which is now facing serious electricity problems, was built in 1942, via a Defense Pact with the United States. It was originally built by the U.S. government as an Air Force base as part of these activities. The runway was built long enough for B-47 Stratojet bombers to land for refuelling, giving Liberia what was for many years the longest runway in Africa.
