Making connectivity seamless with MMA2 regional operations

Single-use terminals are gaining traction, particularly in terms of cost-cutting, simplifying navigation, and streamlining operations for airlines. This could also be beneficial for airlines operating from MMA2 to simplify their business, writes WOLE SHADARE

Richard Branson’s example

When billionaire, Richard Branson, launched Virgin Nigeria in 2004, he was lauded by the then government for bringing a credible national airline to a country with an appalling air safety record.

Little could he have imagined that three years later, with a new Nigerian president in power, an acrimonious row with the authorities would break out over whether the terms of the agreement he struck were valid.

Virgin’s row was ostensibly over whether Virgin Nigeria could continue to use the international terminal at Lagos airport for domestic flights rather than the domestic one, built by businessman, Dr. Wale Babalakin, or the one controlled by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), christened General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

Virgin Nigeria wanted an easy connection for passengers in transit from its lucrative London-Lagos flights to Virgin Nigeria’s routes within the country.

The carrier operated that way for about two years until former President Umaru Yar’Adua took office in 2007 and ordered that Virgin Nigeria use the same domestic terminal as other internal carriers.

Many passengers on Virgin Atlantic enjoyed the easy connection from London to their domestic flights using one airport terminal.

Not a few believed that the spat was more than airport logistics. The issue among other claims of corruption among top government officials by Sir Branson, who owned 41 percent equity in the airlines with Singapore Airlines, quickened the removal of his stakes in the carrier and led to a quick demise of the airline.

Nigeria’s worse airport processes

Nigeria’s airport facilitation processes are amongst the worst in the world while connections from one terminal to the other are about the most difficult.

This has seriously been hampered by a lack of or inadequate infrastructure as it becomes very difficult to link the Murtala Muhammed International Airport terminal with the domestic wings of the same airports.

If an airline only operates out of one terminal, it means that all their arriving and departing flights will use that specific terminal. This simplifies navigation for passengers and streamlines operations for the airline.

The lack of a light rail system to connect the terminals like in smaller African countries and other big airport terminals is glaringly lacking, thereby causing a huge pain to not only the passengers but airlines as well.

Benefits

Other benefits are the efficient deployment of staff and equipment. If everything is based in the same terminal, it is easier for the staff (both services and operational staff such as engineers) and equipment (like ramp equipment) to go from one duty to another duty with shorter transit time.

If airlines have to operate from two terminals, there likely needs to be two groups of staff serving the different terminals. It is not an efficient use of resources.

It provides shorter transit time for connecting passengers. If passengers have to transit from one terminal to another, it normally takes a longer time and the risk of missing the connecting flights is higher.

So, having some of the airlines combine regional and domestic flight operations in one terminal makes it easier for passengers to connect as well.

Having said that, there are some occasions when airlines split their operations into different terminals if their operations are too big to fit into one terminal.

Hub airlines can use more than one terminal just like Delta in Atlanta pretty much occupies the entire airport.

For international flights, the limiting issue would be Customs officials. Sometimes they’re only in one terminal, so all arriving flights disembark at that one terminal, but they will take off from a separate terminal. But in many airports, there is no limitation like that – there are plenty of Customs officials to go around.

Erasing FAAN’s fear

Empirical evidence has shown that airlines would have better on-time performance when they are allowed to use a single terminal for their domestic, regional, or international operations without FAAN losing revenue, which may be at the heart of the authority refusing to allow Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) use its ultra-modern space dedicated for regional flight operations.

Many of the airlines operating both domestic and regional flights from the MMA2 told Aviation Metric that sticking to the approval granted to operate domestic and regional flights in 2016 would in seamless connectivity for them and make travel less cumbersome.

Air Peace, for instance, operates some of its domestic flights from MMA2. That would make it very easy and convenient for passengers to connect Accra, Lome, Abidjan, and many other routes through the MMA2 with its domestic route network.

The same applies to Ibom Air, which began the Accra route in October last year and plans to open more regional routes as part of its expansion drive.

Experts’ views

The fear of the government that regional passengers could mix with domestic travelers on arrival and departure; a security concern, has been debunked by Head of Aeronautics, BASL, Remi Jibodu, while speaking with the media at the weekend in Lagos.

He said, “I can tell you that the last time that we had an inspection by NCAA, that had been sorted and there is an approval. We have created a route whereby after you have the immigration check-in, you cannot mix with the domestic passengers at that point and that is what matters. After that immigration check, you cannot mix with domestic. That has been sorted out and we have the mapping and the route.”

A visit to the MMA2 terminal last week showed that BASL was truly ready for regional flight operation from the terminal, having spent over N600 million in preparation for regional operations from the facility.

All the agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), had assessed and approved the facilities after all requirements were met, with many wondering why operations were yet to commence.

“We are ready; the terminal is ready, and gates 5 and 6 here have been dedicated for regional flights. We have invested over N600 million in the facilities for this operation and have not recouped one naira; it all started in 2014,’ Jibodu said.

The Ministerial Committee on Airport Security, in 2016, certified the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 as fit for the commencement of regional operations.

In April 2023, the Chairman, of BASL, Dr. Babalakin, after inaugurating ‘The Art Experience’ (Art Gallery) in MMA2, stated that despite the terminal being approved by the Federal Government, there were still delays in starting regional operations from the MMA2.

“I am alarmed that we have not commenced regional operations because we went through the process. We were certified but have not been allowed to take off. I am shocked because the MMA2 terminal was built to provide services for regional and domestic passengers, but it is underutilised.

“We had already spent several millions of naira to acquire the state-of-the-art facilities in preparation for regional flight operations, but the inconsistency in government policy, despite the approval, had prevented it from using the facilities,” he said.

Last line

Everything requested for and required, according to standards for regional operations, is in place. The infrastructure is top-notch, just as the operators exuded confidence and optimism that it would be a beautiful thing for them to start regional operations this year.

 

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