• Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport
    Lagos Airport
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    LOS/DNMM
    Country:
    Nigeria
    CEO:
    Christophe Penninck
    Passenger Count :
    7,290,530 (2018)
    Runways :
    18R/36L - 3,900m (12,794ft) | 18L/36R - 2,743m (9,000ft)

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), the main airport serving Lagos, opened its brand-new international terminal last month. However, it is barely being used as airlines continue to operate at the airport's old terminal. We explore exactly why below.

Space constraints at MMIA's new terminal

Terminal 2 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport opened for business last month, with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari personally commissioning and touring the new international terminal on March 22nd.

However, the majority of airlines are shunning the new terminal in favor of the older Terminal 1. This is reportedly due to the lack of apron space at Terminal 2, which is not wide enough to accommodate certain widebody aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, 777, 747 and Airbus A380.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Getty
Design problems mean the terminal is unable to accommodate certain widebody aircraft. Photo: Getty Images

Several carriers, including Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways and Air Peace, have not relocated international operations to the new terminal due to this issue.

Several airports in Nigeria have added new terminals recently, including Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and Port Harcourt International Airport. These new terminals were funded by EXIM Bank of China, which has pumped billions of dollars into Nigeria.

Due to the apron issue, international carriers continue to fly in and out of the old Terminal 1, which remains as busy as ever.

Problems during the design phase

A design problem with Lagos' new terminal, believed to be related to its apron placement, led to delays on the project.

Authorities were forced to demolish several buildings due to these design flaws, including the regional office of the Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N).

Lagos Airport Getty
Photo: Getty Images

Sindy Foster, principal managing partner at Avaero Capital Partners, said,

"It was clear that there would be space constraints before the terminal was even built. You can’t just situate a terminal anywhere you like. That’s what master plans are for. I’m not even sure if anyone is surprised at this point. I’m tired of Nigeria being the laughing stock of the world. We always know what to do here, but we struggle to do things properly. The workaround culture is the dominant culture, not the pursuit of excellence and high standards."

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Will the new terminal be a success?

The new terminal features 66 check-in counters, 16 arrival immigration desks, 28 departure immigration desks, eight security screening points, a multi-layer baggage sorting system, five arrival gates, six departure gates, and seven boarding bridges.

It also offers two food courts, four premium airport lounges, 22 guest rooms and a spa. Authorities had hoped that the new terminal would boost MMIA's annual passenger capacity to around 14 million.

President Buhari said,

"This improvement will increase airport operation and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum. With a positive multiplier effect by creating 3000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for our youth."

Simple Flying had the opportunity to fly business class with Royal Air Maroc from Lagos to Casablanca out of Lagos Airport's executive terminal.

Have you visited the new terminal at Murtala Muhammed International Airport? How did it compare to the experience of the old terminal? Let us know in the comments.