• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

LIBERIA: Relief flights to move to Monrovia downtown airport

ABIDJAN , 11 November 2003 (IRIN) - The United Nations is negotiating with the Liberian government to move humanitarian flights from Roberts International airport, 45 km southeast of Monrovia, to Spriggs Payne airfield in the eastern suburbs of the city.

"The negotiations are ongoing. We are trying to provide some equipment, such as fire equipment and asking the authorities to reduce some of the charges," Victor Cole, Air Transport Officer for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Liberia told IRIN.

"Spriggs Payne is more convenient because it is nearer to the city. We expect that by the end of November, some humanitarian flights will start from there," Cole said.

"We are already trying out the airport. One of our medium-sized 48-seater aircraft landed there on Saturday," he added.

Spriggs Payne airport is already being used regularly by helicopters of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Before 1998, when former President Charles Taylor renovated Roberts International, it served for a time as Liberia's international airport.

Spriggs Payne was also used by West African Peacekeepers (ECOMOG) between 1990 and 1997. It has a passenger terminal, a VIP area and a 6,076 foot runway.

"The airport is slowly opening up for business, but it needs some renovation, lacks some equipment and does not conform to international civil aviation standards," Cole said. "However the customs, immigration and tower are operational."

WFP and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have operated flights into Roberts international airport from Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire and Freetown in Sierra Leone, carrying relief workers and equipment, since the signing of a peace agreement to end 14 years of civil war in Liberia in August.

Themes: (IRIN) Economy

[ENDS]

The material contained on this Web site comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post any item on this site, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All graphics and Images on this site may not be re-produced without the express permission of the original owner. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003