FG reopens old MMA terminal to ease flight disruption

The D Wing of the old international terminal at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) has been reopened in full by the federal government.

The goal of the government was to reduce flight delays and boost air travel’s general effectiveness.

The action was part of a larger initiative to address the rising difficulties encountered by travellers and airlines operating in Nigeria in the wake of the abrupt transfer of foreign airlines from the international terminal of the Lagos airport to an adjacent new terminal that opened in March.

Festus Keyamo, the aviation minister, made an announcement on Monday on the reopening of the old international terminal, which had been temporarily closed for renovations.

In a statement penned by Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, Director, Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, FAAN, Keyamo stressed the commitment of the government to advancing the aviation industry and guaranteeing that travellers had a smooth journey.

“This is to inform the travelling public that the Hon. Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has graciously allowed the use of the D Wing of the Old Murtala Muhammed International terminal to complement the New International Terminal in order to ease facilitation of passengers through the airport,” the statement says in part.

Keyamo had mandated that airlines move to the new terminal on October 1, 2023, but on Wednesday, FAAN forcibly moved the foreign carriers there.

The sudden relocation by FAAN came the same day fire razed part of the baggage hall of the MMIA, forcing the agency to evacuate passengers and personnel from the facility.

Reacting, the Director of Media, FAAN, Mr Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, said the airport fire and other development affecting power supply necessitated the sudden relocation of the foreign carriers. However, he said FAAN was on the matter.