FG to open $500m China funded terminal at Lagos airport before Dec 2020
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has again assured that the brand new International airport terminal still under construction at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos which is funded through counterpart financing from the China Eximbank would be completed and commissioned for use before the end of the year.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu made the disclosure when he led the FAAN delegation to pay a courtesy visit to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu as part of preparations for the re-opening of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for flight operations.
Seeking the support and collaboration of the Lagos State Government towards ensuring improved safety, security and better service delivery at MMIA, Yadudu highlighted protocols for re-opening of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos; road expansion MMIA/GAT/MM2; rail project- right of way, possible link to Lagos Station; Shasha/Ajao encroachment/commercial concerns; Donation of Co-buses (Apron Buses);
Others are evacuation of mechanic village (Oshodi road); toll gate at MMA; amongst others as issues the authority would want the Lagos State Government to assist in resolving.
The terminal completion date had been shifted severally, leading to concern that the facility still had to undergo a lot of work.
FAAN had repeatedly said that once the new terminal opens, the old international terminal which has served passengers, airlines and other airport users for more than four decades would be shut down for total rehabilitation, adding that after completion of major works, the two terminals would be put to use to ease congestion and help in seamless processing of travellers.
With a $500 million loan from the Export and Import Bank of China, five airport terminals at its principal aviation hubs were under construction by the China’s CCECC.
Apart from the international terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, the other international terminals under construction are in Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt. Abuja and Port-Harcourt terminals had since been completed.
The Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja is projected to serve 16 million passengers annually, up from its current capacity of five million.
With a capacity for 25 million passengers per annum from the current seven million passengers it presently serves, the international airport in Lagos would retain the lion’s share of the projected capacity of 62 million passengers for the nation’s new aviation hubs.
Despite the promise which the project holds for commercial flights in Nigeria’s dominant economic centres, uncertainty surrounded the immediate completion and future sustainability of these airport terminals.
It would be recalled that the $500 million loan for the five airport terminals was part of a bigger $1.1 billion credit facility obtained from the Export and Import Bank of China for the building of critical infrastructure that includes the Abuja Light Rail and the Galaxy Backbone ICT projects.
Both Chinese-funded aviation and rail projects are being executed by CCECC, a symbol of Beijing’s growing influence in Africa.
A former Assistant Secretary General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur said, ideally, this period should also be used to determine how the terminals will be managed upon their completion since the absence of a maintenance culture over the past decades led to the dereliction of the current terminals.
“It is important that we create a holistic strategy for attracting foreign investors, especially from the private sector, to develop and manage Nigeria’s crumbling aviation infrastructure.’
“Granted, we may also have to source for credit from abroad. Nonetheless, the knowledge of our home-grown experts is essential for transforming our airports into premier facilities that meets the demands of international travellers for business or leisure,” he added.
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