MMA2 Int’l Operations: Key to Nigeria, regional development

Many international air travelers would choose to travel out of Nigeria through other airports rather than from Lagos if they had a choice because of the hassles associated with passenger facilitation at Lagos airport. The clamour to revisit the approval given to MMA2 to operate flights from the terminal because of hassle-free processes, investment in world-class equipment, and the serene ambiance of the terminal is gaining traction, Writes, WOLE SHADARE

Strict requirements

Regional airports or terminals represent not only important points of access to remote locations and parts of the country with limited or lengthy ground access but also have a significant economic impact on the surrounding region.

On the other hand, every public airport/terminal with commercial operations must fulfill strict requirements concerning international safety and security requirements, including operational readiness of the airport infrastructure and airport personnel qualifications.

At the same time, airports are important stimulators and catalysts of regional economic growth and development.

Determining whether the indirect, induced, and catalytic impact of an airport on a region outweighs the cost of regional airport subsidies would contribute to informed regional development policy and decision-making.

One-stop shop for travel needs

The ultra-modern Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, otherwise known as MMA2 which was conceived with a strong vision by Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) over 16 years ago to provide a one-stop shop for all travel needs has met all the requirements for both regional and international flight operations.

The operators of the terminal went a notch higher to transverse the length and breadth of Africa before it settled for an airport design it saw in South Africa by replicating it in Nigeria at a time the country was looking for what is said to be an experiment with the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) concession deal. Babalakin and the terminal served as a Guinea pig for that experiment that has become one of the ways of public financing of infrastructure for the country.

The bold step was taken by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) to birth unarguably the best airport terminal in the country at the time it was built and still, one of the best if not the best at the moment.

Success story

The success of MMA2 became possible because of the efficient management of its revenue streams, controlling costs, and making prudent financial and human capital decisions.

It has also helped itself with innovation and can adapt to the continuously changing market trends and technological advancement with the secured services of the most successful airport technology solutions provider called RESA as well as ensuring our ERP is sound and up to date.

While airport infrastructure is posing a serious challenge to the government, there are indications that over N1 trillion would be needed to bridge the facility gaps.

The truth is that many of the country’s international airports especially Murtala Muhammed Airport are congested as more and more people are crammed into facilities that are not only decrepit but one that make connections very difficult and cumbersome.

Approval granted but frustrated

The Federal Government had granted Bi-Courtney approval to commence regional flight operations from the terminal during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In between politics and lack of good thinking, the approval was halted under the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan after the terminal operator had invested over N600 million to provide all the necessary facilities that could make for seamless and effective coordination and operation of regional flights from the terminal.

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

N600 million investments

A visit to the terminal recently shows that the terminal is ready and well-equipped for regional operations. Gates 5 and 6  have been dedicated to regional flights. The operator had since its N600 million investment in the facilities in 2014 is yet to recoup a dime from the investment.

Chairman of BASL, Babalakin at a forum with journalists early last year, lamented that despite the terminal being approved by the Federal Government, there were still delays in starting regional operations from the MMA2.

“I am surprised that we have not commenced regional operations because we went through the process. We were certified but have not been allowed to take off.”

“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.

Experts’ views

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of MMA2, Mrs. Tosan Duncan Odukoya, told Aviation Metric that Bi-Courtney’s commitment to continuous improvement is evident in its maintenance and equipment facilities. At the same time, its customer service remains the cornerstone of the passenger experience.

Aviation Security Consultant and Former Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Group. Capt. John Ojikutu (Rtd) said there was nothing delaying MMA2 from being cleared for regional, adding that the terminal was approved for regional operations by Obasanjo, stressing, “ That was what the NCAA then certified it for at the Audit conducted for the terminal before it was opened for operation.

“Remember that Virgin Nigeria and Arik were programmed to operate from the terminal and remember too how the two disregarded the directive and how it caused the death of Virgin Nigeria. If the growth of Nigeria Aviation depends on the political office holders in the industry, we cannot grow just as we have not since 1993 when the idea of a new national carrier was mooted in the NASS public hearing under AT Ahmed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation”.

Ojikutu delved into the age-long feud between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the concession of the terminal, saying that the problem of Bi-Courtney and FAAN is one between two interest groups similar to the one between those for and against the national carrier.

“We should go back to the provisions of the Act on Concessions, commercialisation, and Privatisation of 2000. It was that Act that brought about the MM2 that was built from ground zero. How many such airport passenger terminals have been so built? The Act has been abandoned and every political official in the successive administration of our government wants the apple pie of the airports’ management and their earnings.

“The present administration should end the uproar between FAAN and Bi-Courtney and proceed with the suspension of the concessions, commercialisation, and privatisation of the Federal airports which is taking too much from the government’s expected revenue earnings.”

A former Assistant Scretary-General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Alhaji Mohammed Tukur said has stood out as one of the few airport terminals in Nigeria because of how the firm embraced technology as a strategy for better passenger experience.

He urged the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo to revisit the approval given to the airport terminal operator to not only improve airport passenger facilitation but to help boost the image of the country with one with world-class facilities to ease travelers’ pains as experienced at all the terminals in Lagos and other places.

One thing I have noticed about the operator of the facility is that they are going for an on-time policy. It sounds old-fashioned but it’s the only way to go if they want to give passengers a great experience.”

An airline operator who operates from the terminal but pleaded anonymity stated that it makes good sense to operate regional flights from the terminal because of the world-class facilities they have at Gates 5 and 6 which he said are very adequate for that service.

He hinted that the terminal would serve connecting passengers well because both domestic and regional flight connections can be carried out seamlessly from there.

Last line

The essence of an airport is to process passengers and the more seamless it is, the better it is. Many are of the view that MMA2 should even go beyond offering regional operations from there and international flights as well because of the huge security and processing facilities in the terminal that have gulped several millions of dollars.

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