Succour at last for air travellers
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AfricCon Latest Nigerian Report: Succour at last for air travellers
Africcon Media, Nigeria
From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
For long, they groaned and grumbled, wondering why they should be perpetually subjected to such untold physical and emotional stress.
Hardly could they comprehend why facilities at the nation’s busiest airport should be grossly substandard, a far cry from what obtains in other climes. But now, things are changing for the better. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the federal government has hearkened to the cries of air travellers and is taking quick steps to fix the problems.
Until recently, many were the cries and complaints, emanating from the frustrated souls of millions of passengers, arriving or exiting Nigeria through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Over the years, the airport has been abandoned by successive federal administrations, its structures and facilities left to rot and moulder by those tasked with their maintenance.
Indeed, an experience at the airport could leave a genial, usually good-natured fellow, brimming with a bountiful dose of irritation. Just as you ventured out of the aircraft into the airport, a humid air welcomed you. And right from that moment, your eyes were greeted with the grinding decay.
An aged, decrepit escalator that might just refuse to work; immigration officers with little passion for their jobs; a disorderly, clammy crowd at the baggage area, waiting impatiently for luggage that might take a few hours to arrive; security officers that would always beseech you for a few dollar bills, and trolleys that should have been retired decades back.
These were the memories that reverberated in the mind after a visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. And when you eventually moved out of the facility, an ineffective car hire service and lack of lodging within the airport would compound your woes.
Then a motley crowd of corporate beggars, touts offering assorted services and illegal forex dealers, harassing the newly-arrived traveller, would leave him shaking his head in sheer frustration.
But now, such complaints might not persist for too long. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the federal government, through the Aviation Ministry, is working hard to bring facilities at the airport at par with internationally acceptable standards.
And, according to FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Yakubu Datti, it won’t be long before the airport gets fully transformed. Datti, during an inspection of ongoing work at the international wing of the airport, explained to journalists that a new day is gradually dawning at the facility.
In his words, the current Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, is totally committed to implementing President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda in all the federal airports in the country. Datti informed that all the airports were being remodelled, with several already commissioned. He admitted that ongoing works at the airport would cause some discomfort for the passengers.
“We are appealing for understanding and support of the air travellers and other members of the public using the airport at this time. We have made adequate arrangements that would lessen the pain of passengers, but we are appealing to them to bear with us,” he explained.
“We will be doing much more in the coming weeks at the MMIA to ensure greater comfort for air travellers,” he explained. “Travellers now want an airport where they can feel at home, where they can feel relaxed. They want airports that offer more than check-in-counters and boarding pass. Our airports need to become a destination in itself, a place worthy of stopping off for a while for a little shopping and pampering.
That is the global phenomenon and we have showcased that in the remodelled GAT and other domestic terminals. We are looking forward to an impressive change at Murtala Mohammed International Airports too.”
Even now at the Lagos airport, a long stretch of vehicles seeking to pass through the toll gate is a daily spectacle. Many motorists sweat and swear as they labour to navigate through the gate while paying the toll. But that will soon become a thing of the past, says FAAN.
The organisation asserts that the toll system would, before long, be automated in a bid to ease the pains of the road users. Another major work that would soon commence at the airport, Datti asserted, is the aerotropolis project which entails, among others, the construction of a six-storey car park, a hotel and a shopping centre.
The present car park, affirmed Datti , has become grossly inadequate for the traffic at the MMIA. But passengers would not be left to their fate.
The authorities would put up a temporary car park close to the airport church and mosque while the construction of the aeroplast lasts. “The car park will take between 3000 and 5000 cars when completed and the hotel will have an international conference centre. The initiative is part of the aviation road map driven by the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah,” Datti noted.
“But while we are working on all these things, normal operations would continue at the airport. We cannot afford to shut down operations. Aviation is a global business, and the standards are the same from country to country. We want to be among the best in the world.
That is why the minister is determined to create a world class infrastructure that would ensure comfort and safety to airport users, as part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.” Inside the airport itself, old things are passing away, and many things are becoming new.
For instance, the ‘D’ Wing of the airport, which has been abandoned for long, and the ‘E’ Wing, are being expanded and rebuilt, with several new facilities being added. When on-going works at the ‘D’ Wing and ‘E’ Wing are completed, shopping outlets, eateries, pharmacies, banking halls, bureau-de-change operations and many other innovations would have been put in place.
“We are not just thinking of providing the best comfort for the travellers, we are also thinking of boosting the economy through the airport. We don’t just want you to pass through the airport, we want you to relax, do some shopping, have some meal, and so on. We want you to spend some money at the airport so that we also boost the nation’s economy even through the airport,” Datti said. The ‘D’ Wing, the reporter was told, is currently being equipped with an arrival hall that would have about 40 counters.
The counters would ensure that more immigration officers and personnel of other security agencies, including the State Security Service (SSS) are deployed in the arrival hall for a faster and more efficient clearance of passengers. At the ‘E’ Wing, a set of three new carousels has been installed, just like the ‘D’ Wing is also being similarly equipped.
With the installation, it is farewell to endless wait for luggage at the airport. Mr. Sanya Noah, FAAN’s Head of Engineering said passengers’ luggage would now be loaded directly from the aircraft onto the fast-moving carousels.
Until now, the baggage travels about 120 metres before getting to the carousel. He said with the new regime, the luggage won’t take longer than three minutes from the aircraft to the carousel. He also explained that each conveyor belt can handle two aircraft at a time. What that means is that the three conveyor belts can handle six planes at a time.
No longer will angry passengers, tired and spent after a long flight, would be made to linger by the carousel for hours on end, frantically searching for his luggage. “With the new arrangement, before a passenger is through with the immigration, the luggage is already waiting,” Datti further explained. But that is not all. Construction work is also ongoing at the new routes now designated for departing passengers. The new departure lounge formerly housed the air conditioner service hall.
A 19-room hotel will be put in place for transit passengers at the upper floor of the departure lounge, it was learnt. But you cannot but wonder that, with the irregular power system in the country, wouldn’t all these initiatives become frustrated at the end of the day? Datti affirms otherwise.
He explained that six giant power-generating sets, each with a 4, 850 KVA capacity, have been procured to ensure that electricity remains constant at the airport.
The existing generators, installed in 1979, are being retired. Datti also explained that passengers departing Nigeria through the Lagos airport will no longer use the same route as passengers arriving into the country. “We want to ensure there is no rowdiness and we also take into account security issues. There are now two departure areas located at the top level with provision for escalator and ramp.
“All these works will definitely put some pressure on the passengers, but we are appealing to them to exercise some patience. We are determined to bring utmost comfort to all airport users. And we will not rest until we have achieved that.”
