How Airport master plan distortion, malfunctioning systems ground activities at new MMIA terminal

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

It is no longer news that nine months after the rush to commission the $500 million Murtala Mohammad International Airport (MMIA) terminal, popularly called the Chinese terminal, little or no activity is going on at the new terminal as foreign airlines have refused to relocate.

Except for Air Peace, which has remained the only airline using the new terminal as a result of the check-in, foreign airlines operating in the country have continued to shun the new terminal with modern facilities said to be world-class.

According to investigations, there are two major things delaying the take-off of the terminal. The Avio bridges cannot take wide-bodied aircraft like Airbus and Boeing but small aircraft like that of Embraer because the wing span of the bigger aircraft cannot maneuver at the apron to park.

It was also learned that the terminal was not ready before it was commissioned in March by the government as most of the required facilities were not installed at the time it was hurriedly commissioned.

READ ALSO: How Nigerians are accessing affordable housing through

Checks have, however, shown that the commission of the terminal was hurriedly done to the glory of the construction company.

Confirming this development, an industry source, who pleaded anonymity, said that the “terminal was not ready before it was commissioned, they hurriedly did it in order to make name for their party and make sure that they were the ones that commissioned it for use. There is no doubt that the terminal is big though not solid but at least, the building and everything inside looks model because I have gone there and did an inspection personally on my own”.

It was further learned that the check-in counters cannot function as regards automation as it were at the MMIA old terminal but they destabilised and removed most of the computer system that can be used to check in from the old international terminal especially those at the Airpeace counters which they were using and took them to be used at the new terminal for Air Peace to be using to operate for its international flights.

Air Peace was then using the outer aviobridge which can only accommodate one aircraft. It was, however, gathered that the management of FAAN has started installing the new automaton system but is not well programmed hence most of the foreign Carriers have to sun the new terminal.

It was also learned that airline like Delta was ready to move to the new airport terminal while they maintain their current parking lots at the old terminal, while passengers will be processed at the new terminal and walk through the crossway to board from there but have this fear that the check-in system might collapse during operations

It was further gathered that since the management of FAAN dumped SITA, in charge of the installations of passenger processing facilities at the airport, it has become increasingly difficult for them to get a new system to work at the new terminal.

But stakeholders have criticised the approval of private Hangars and hotels around the airport close to the tarmac.

But an aviation analyst, Mr Olumide Ohunayo told Daily Times that distortion of the MMIA master plan was one of the reasons why the terminal has not been put into use nine months after commissioning.

According to him, the siting of the terminal there remained a very big challenge as the apron area must be expanded before that terminal could be put into use.

He noted that by expanding the apron area, buildings around the terminal must be pulled down, asking: “Why was the master plan of the airport not followed? If they have followed the master plan, we will not have found ourselves in the situation we are in now.

“Now, the airlines have refused to move due to the apron. Are we going to bring down the old terminal?”

Olumide was however concerned about the repayment of the Chinese loan of over $500million used for the construction querying how the terminal will be able to generate the money to pay back the loans.

He urged the government to urgently look into what should be done by bringing out the master plan of the airport in order not to allow the terminal to continue lying waste and underutilized.

Olumide warned against the looming danger of the proposed demolition of the domestic airport area in the name of Aerotropolis before going into another error and start regretting later.

It was also learned that the government is confused as a result of the planned concession of the terminal as the Chinese that provided the loan for the construction also want to be involved in the process but the government is not willing to bring them into the concession process.

According to the Chinese, it is either the government handing over the terminal to them operating and recovering their funds or the government will pay them the amount spent on the property.

Reacting, the Acting General Manager of Public Affairs of FAAN, Mrs Faithful Hope – Ivbaze, told Daily Times that the organisation was in talk with Air France and others to relocate to the new terminal.