October 07, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has received the report of the task force on the relocation of foreign airlines from the old international terminal to the new terminal in his office.
Keyamo, while receiving the report on Friday, thanked the members of the task force for accepting to serve the Nation selflessly. He said the Lagos airport account for 60% of entry point and exit into Nigeria.
According to him, all the five international airports in Nigeria, the old terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport is in a state of disrepair and he is committed to ensuring the overhaul of the terminal before the end of his administration.
He recalled the fire incident of September 6, 2023, which necessitated the hasty relocation of all airlines from the old terminal, which generated public outcry as unfortunate, assuring that adequate measures will be put in place to avert future occurrences of such incidents.
While assuring the task force of the implementation of the recommendation as soon as possible, he directed that a meeting be held with the contractors handling the airport on issues of substandard equipment and the possibility of opening up other entry points into the airport, including the expansion of their work schedule, which is part of the PPP agreement.
On the issue of a complete comprehensive plan for the airports, he said having a Master plan will eradicate wastage and encourage concessioners to make the airports a hub indeed. He noted that the Master plan will take into consideration the existing structures while renovation on the old terminal will not be disrupted.
Speaking earlier, team leader of the task force, Engineer Hassan Musa (Retired Permanent Secretary and ex-Director of the Department of Air Transport Management), while relating the expanded terms of reference of the task force, said part of the findings shows that the fire incident, which necessitated the sudden movement of all airlines to Terminal 2, compounded the challenges that has been existing since operations in April 2022.
He also said among other things, that some equipment installed at Terminal 2 does not meet the international standard equipment for international airports, noting also that there are no adequate entrances and exits to Terminal 2 to meet international standard requirements, which could be disastrous.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
