Category: Aviation

Federal Government said it has concluded plans to demolish some sections of the Murtala Muhammed International (MMIA), Lagos, to enable Julius  Berger Nigeria Limited carry out massive repairs on the 40-year-old facility.

Since 1979 when the airport was inaugurated, no expansion work  has taken place despite increase in the number of foreign and indigenous carriers using the airport.

Investigations revealed that over 27 foreign carriers including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Air France/KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Air Italy, Turkish Airlines, and Royal Air Maroc operate at the airport.

Others operating flights into and out of the MMIA include Delta Airlines, South African Airways, Rwand Air, Air Namibia, ASKY Airlines, African World Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air ; CamAir, Cedar Airlines, Air Tunisia, Air Cote D’Ivoire, and Middle East Airlines, among others

The increase in the number of airlines over the years, according to investigations, necessitated the expansion of the terminal.

The proposed demolition of the airport was a fall out of a comprehensive study carried out by construction giant – Julius Berger Nigeria Limited.

Besides the comprehensive study, airlines and other users of the terminal have over the years canvassed the overhaul and expansion of the facility.

Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who made this known in an interview with The Nation, said government was embarking on the massive repair of the facilities because it has become overstretched.

He said the huge reworking  of the premier gateway is expected to cost over N14 billion.

Part of the major work to be carried out include replacement of the electrical cabling; structural repairs on the integrity of the terminal; extension of two levels of the terminal ; rebuilding of the gangways as well as aviation bridges.

Other areas to be fixed in the terminal include the faulty elevators and the  air-conditioning system.

According to Sirika, the tear down would be effective after the new international terminal constructed with loan from the Chinese Import Export Bank has been completed  and inaugurated for use.

He said the facelift will not affect operations at the premier gateway as all carriers at the terminal would have moved to the new facility  scheduled to be opened soon.

Sirika  said the MMIA over the years has suffered neglect, forcing government to think out of the box on how to upgrade its operational facilities.

He said from an estimated  annual passenger capacity of 200,000 over four decades ago when the airport was built, its facilities has remained over stretched to the current eight million passengers.

Such mismatch, he said, does not portray Nigeria as a country planning for the growth of its aviation industry.

The minister faulted the airports remodelling exercise carried out a few years ago for over 13 terminals, insisting that the $500 million loan secured from the Chinese Import Export Bank and the Federal Government’s N100 million counterpart funds, should have been deployed only to fix the Lagos and Abuja Airports as major hubs.

Sirika said splitting the funds into many airports in Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu was responsible for the delay in completing the entire projects.

He said it was incumbent on government to give attention to MMIA as the busiest airport in the country, which should be developed as a regional hub  within  Africa and other parts of the world.

The minister said attention would be given to MMIA as part of government’s plan to develop an aerotropolis, where airports play key roles as enablers of economic development.

Sirika said government was not backing down on its planned concession of airports, because it had since realised that available public funding cannot intervene on gaps in existing airports.

To fill the, gap, Sirika said government was convinced that private sector funding through concession and other funding models would assist to develop airports to enviable standards.

He said the Federal Government will not hand over any airport to state governments, which he said, do not have the financial wherewithal to run such facilities.

Sirika said: “We will not hand over any airport from one tier of government to another. Rather, we will hand them over to private investors with proven capacity to undertake such tasks as it has been done in many parts of the world.”

Also speaking, Former Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Saleh Dunoma, said the massive repairs on the MMIA will be carried in two phases.

Dunoma said it will not disrupt flight operations.

He said: “The tear down will not in any way affect flight operations. It will be carried out in two phases to allow for flight operations. This will only happen after the new terminal scheduled to be completed this year is open.

“I cannot at the moment determine how long the exercise would take in terms of months.  We will shut down a section of the airport and work on it, before moving to the other section.

For aviation industry to experience exponential growth, government must take urgent steps to address challenges at airports associated with poor cooling systems, uncontrolled movements, lack  of capacity to curb touting and crowding, inadequate infrastructure, lack of cooperation among airlines with the regulators as well as dearth of logistic facilities.

A report put together by stakeholders under the aegis of Airport Business Summit said until government takes bold steps to fix these  challenges, the push for the growth of the industry would not be achieved.

The report stated that its study of the industry in the last three years confirmed that airports development remains key in addressing population growth, managing urban drift as well as serving as an enabler for economic growth.

The Aviation Business Summit Report observed that though airports play critical role in the development chain, it could only achieve that goal if there is available and reliable air connectivity to facilitate movement of people and services.

Reliable air connectivity , the report said, would reduce the tendency of permanent migration to already congested cities.

The report identified lack of investors’ interest in airports and attendant lack of funding as part of major operational challenges that hinder airports from playing its critical role.

Other factors militating against the growth of the industry, the report stated, include “Inability  of stakeholders to formulate right strategy to move the aviation sector forward;  low passenger traffic; lack of co-ordination among sister agencies at the airports; lack of adequate aircraft maintenance hangars; lack of well-trained work force; poor time management and poor airport management services.”

The report canvassed stakeholders’ involvement, training and manpower development, strong political will, to back up  policies as part of efforts to strengthen the sector.

It also called on government to consider putting in place facilities for  transit passengers, noting that this would boost  connectivity on major routes. It also said autonomy for the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) with adequate funding could change the airport management narrative.

The report noted that airport business growth in Nigeria is relatively slow because of hiccups in the operating environment. It said: “The climate in Nigeria is harsh for businesses to thrive for airports  because  there are multiple charges by FAAN, which complicate the business activities of concessionaires.

“Many service providers lack quality customer service relationship. There is  poor planning, policy somersault  and unhealthy bureaucracy that hinder development. There is lack of transparency in airport management, poor communication mechanism between landlord and concessionaires.

“The business environment in Nigeria especially the airports should be made conducive enough for businesses to thrive. Good reward system as incentives to encourage hard work on the part of the operators of the airports.

“Well-tailored policy framework that would encourage investment opportunities within airport business environment.

“State of the art infrastructure should be made available. Proper planning to cater for short, medium and long term plans and implementation, continuity in government policies and provision of security amongst others.”

On security around airports, the report noted that steps should be taken to address drug planting, human trafficking, aircraft hijacking, incursion into the airside by animals or humans, stowaway, touting, extortion, theft and hawking.

It reads: “Government should consider ways and means to checkmate   criminal acts by installing  CCTV and scanning machines around the airports.

“There should be regular and proper patrol of both airside and landside  of the airports in addition to completing  perimeter fencing of all aerodromes to check incursion menace.

“Government should look at ways to assist airlines reduce flight delays and cancellations ; delay in refunds due to flight cancellations, poor handling of passenger luggage leading to damage and or loss of luggage;  dirty rest rooms ; touting and extortion prevalence, harassment by security personnel, poor cooling systems and uncomfortable airport environment ; unfriendly staff and personnel and poorly managed information desk.”