The newly appointed minister of aviation, Festus Keyamo toured the Murtala Muhammed Airport facilities on Thursday announcing the suspension of the controversial Nigeria Air project.
This came just as he gave all international airlines and others operating foreign flights till October 1st, 2023 to relocate from the old terminal building at the international wing of the Lagos airport and begin operations at the new terminal.
The new terminal which was built for several billions of naira by the Chinese company, CCEEC for the seamless comfort of travelers, was abandoned by all foreign airlines due to a lack of provision for aviobridges that will accommodate wide-body aircraft.
To enforce the relocation of the foreign airlines, Keyamo announced plans to temporarily shut down the old terminal for repairs.
The minister expressed worries about why such a gigantic project would be constructed without consideration for facilities that can accommodate bigger aircraft.
While lamenting the hardships confronting the Nigerian travelers at the old terminal building with its obsolete structures, Keyamo declared that the absence of the aviobridges that would have made the new terminal meet the international standards would be subsequently constructed by the Federal Government.
He, however, revealed that for the additional aviobridges to be constructed, the two private hangars located at the airport will be relocated to give way for the project.
According to the minister: “The question from Nigerians is that why an international airport like Lagos airport will be designed without a provision to take the big planes. No aviobridges that can link big aircraft to the new terminal and 60 percent of the revenue generated are made from the Lagos airport.
“What we are going to do is temporarily shut down the old terminal.
“I have also given the directives that all pending projects like the airport concession including Nigeria Air be suspended until I brief the President whom I owe absolute honesty and Nigerians.”
The temporary solution that will ameliorate challenges the closure of the old terminal and the relocation of foreign operations to the new terminal may cause, according to the minister is to purchase buses that will be positioned at both the departure and arrival axis of the new terminal to convey passengers to a comfortable place.
“How they will design an international gateway airport like Lagos airport without provisions for wide-body planes is what Nigerians are asking questions about.”
The minister was led on the tour by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Kabir Muhammed and his management team.
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