Before the end of this year the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would be processing up to 30 million passengers annually from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The existing 15 million passengers processed annually is expected to double when the new international terminal with the capacity for another 15 million passengers comes on stream late 2016.
Speaking to aviation correspondents in his office on the activities the agency on traffic management before and after the yuletide period, the general manager corporate communications, Mr Yakubu Dati said except for the Turkish airline’s passengers breach that activities at the airport during the Yuletide was hitch free and there was seamless passengers facilitation.
Dati said FAAN security operatives and other security agencies deployed detective machines such as screening machine, CCTV, full body scanners and personal intelligence to ensure easy facilitation of passengers.
He said the new airport terminal would epitomise modernity with the latest flight information display system, the latest electronic gadgets and facilities for easy movement of check-in passengers.
Dati said the airport is being built with the latest security protection system in recognition of the heightened security threat n the world, as terrorists target airport facilities with the aim to do maximum damage.
“When completed the new terminal in Lagos, will be able to process additional 15 million passengers which means we will able to service about 30 million passengers. All these are things put together to raise aviation to a new level this year,” he said.
Dati said security has been repositioned across the airports with a view to meeting the challenges ahead, adding that FAAN was looking forward to partnering with investors as a result of dwindling resources in line with the Minister’s statement.
He therefore appealed to FAAN concessionaire especially airlines to pay their debts to agencies in order to enable them to continue rendering services to them.
On the preparation for the forthcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation ICAO audit in March, Dati revealed that what looked like a mock exercise towards the audit was conducted by the Airport Council International (ACI) team during the team’s visit on its invitation by the managing director of FAAN, Suleh Dunoma.
According to Dati, ACI team visited facilities at the airport and made recommendations and from the recommendations some open areas identified would be closed before the audit date, assuring that the country would scale through the audit.
He said government was doing everything possible to ensure that the country would not disappoint Dr Bernard Aliu as a Nigerian and as the ICAO president of ICAO Council.
On the certification of airports in the country, Dati said a team was working round the clock with other aviation agencies to ensure that all gaps were closed so that at least four of the major airports could be certified by ICAO.
He advised airport users, especially passengers not to leave any luggage behind as any unattended luggage will be destroyed. He also warned passengers and urged them to adhere strictly to airport rules and regulations and not to carry any luggage not belonging to them.
