The Federal Government has announced that it would expand the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos (MMIA) as a remedy to the congestion at the nation�s busiest airport.
Minister of Transportation, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, disclosed this yesterday after inspecting parts of the airport.
She said the airport needed to be expanded to make for seamless facilitation of surging passengers whose number increases with the economic improvement of Lagos as the West African hub.
She did not however elaborate on the nature of the expansion project at the arport which was built in 1977 by the government of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.
The minister also said her ministry had taken it upon itself to upgrade the value of the actual travel experience of Nigerian consumers.
Speaking during the inspection of facilities at the airport, including the recently refurbished control tower and new radar, which is part of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), Alison-Madueke explained that she had come to see things for herself with a view to putting the right things in place.
�We have to do something to upgrade the value of the actual travel experience before Nigerian consumers, and that has to do with physical aspect in our terminal building. We obviously have to do some sort of expansion at the Murtala Muhammed Airport,� she said.
If the airport is expanded, she said, it would save time for passengers who would now spend less time checking in, while general activities at the airport would become faster.
The congestion at the airport has been the butt of criticism for some time now.
The managing director of Turkish Airlines, Hassan Mutlu, had earlier told THISDAY that the progress at the airport was being slowed down by congestion, saying that the nation�s premier international airport needed urgent expansion with increased facilities to meet the needs of the thousands of passengers that throng at the airport daily.
The minister however said �we are going to automate our system, to cut down on the time it takes to actually walk through Customs which will be decreased if we have a second screening section in the airport, therefore, the airport expansion will be holistic�
On infrastructure, Alison-Madueke frowned at the decay at the airports and noted that some critical equipment that should be given priority attention were ignored or given after-thought attention, identifying one of the critical equipment as power generation, so that the airports are consistently supplied with the requisite level of power to prevent fluctuation and prevent the instruments from breaking down.
On non-release of fiscal allocation to aviation agencies, she stated that the issue of funds was one major problem facing the sector, adding: �We have a lot of parameters which we cannot use. However, all uncompleted projects should be completed before the end of the year�.
In another development, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has asked some concessionaires operating inside the terminal building to vacate their shops for the expansion of the Lagos airports.
The Minister was accompanied on the tour by parastatal chiefs, airport service providers, contractors and some airline chiefs.
Affected are commercial banks, GSM service pro-viders and others.
The operation of the concessionaires, with their shops springing up both at the departure and arrival points, has reduced the space for passengers.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts toward ensuring that this year�s Hajj operations in Kaduna State goes smoothly, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Alhaji Mohammed Yusuf, disclosed yesterday that the repairs of the runways and lighting system would be finished in 30 days.
Yusuf made this disclosure, when he paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, where the MD added that two new screening machines for luggage and passengers had been installed at the airport.
Affirming FAAN�s commitment to a smooth Hajj operation, Yusuf added that �as part of my drive to transform the Kaduna airport, I have transferred one of my best managers to Kaduna, including engineers so that within a short time there will be a total transformation of the airport.
�We have also brought 2 brand new screening machines for luggage and passengers. This is to ensure that everything that passes through the airport is safe and secured. We have equally checked all the facilities at the airport to make sure that they are in order. The Pilgrims Stand at the airport is currently undergoing total renovation.�
Governor Namadi, while replying, told the MD that the state had concluded arrangements for the provision of water and power lines at the airport, in fulfilment of the state�s desire to upgrade the airport to a standard one.
Sep52007