Murtala Mohammed International Airport

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Murtala Mohammed International Airport
IATA: LOS - ICAO: DNMM
Summary
Airport type public
Operator Nigerian Ministry of Aviation
Serves Lagos
Elevation AMSL 131 ft (40 m)
Coordinates 06°34′39″N, 03°19′16″E
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1L/19R 12,795 3,900 Paved
1R/19L 9,000 2,743 Paved

Murtala Mohammed International Airport (IATA: LOS, ICAO: DNMM) is located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. It was named after former Nigerian military head of state Murtala Ramat Mohammed. The international terminal was modeled after Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

Murtala Mohammed International Airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal, located about 1km from each other. Both terminals share the same runways, though runway 01L/19R is currently closed for repaving. It is expected to reopen in 2006. The domestic terminal was relocated to the old Lagos domestic terminal in 2000 after a fire. A new domestic terminal is currently under construction, due for inauguration in early 2007.

In 2004, the airport served 3,695,714 passengers.

Contents

[edit] History and Reputation

During the late 1980s and 1990s, the international terminal had a reputation as a dangerous airport. From 1992 through 2000, the US Federal Aviation Administration posted warning signs in all US international airports advising travelers that security conditions at LOS did not meet ICAO minimum standards. In 1993 the FAA suspended air service between Lagos and the United States. During this period, security at LOS continued to be a serious problem. Travellers arriving in Lagos were harassed both inside and outside of the airport terminal by criminals. Airport staff contributed to its reputation. Immigration officers required bribes before stamping passports, while customs agents demanded payment for nonexistent fees. In addition, several jet airplanes were attacked by criminals who stopped planes taxiing to and from the terminal and robbed their cargo holds. Many travel guides suggested that Nigeria-bound travellers fly into Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and take domestic flights or ground transportation into Lagos.

Following Olusegun Obasanjo's democratic election in 1999, the security situation at LOS began to improve. Airport police instituted a shoot on sight policy for anyone found in the secure areas around runways and taxiways, stopping further aeroplane robberies. Police secured the inside of the terminal and the arrival areas outside. The FAA ended its suspension of direct flights to Nigeria 2001 in recognition of these security improvements.

Recent years have seen substantial improvements at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Malfunctioning and non-operational infrastructure such as air conditioning and luggage belts have been repaired. The entire airport has been cleaned, and many new restaurants and duty-free stores have opened. Bilateral Air Services Agreements signed between Nigeria and other countries are being revived and new ones signed.

Britain's Channel 4 television network filmed a reality television series based at the international terminal. The six thirty-minute episodes aired in November and December 1999 and showed the lives of those who lived and worked at the airport.

[edit] International and Regional Airlines

[edit] Domestic Airlines

[edit] References

  1. ^ Delta Boosts Investment in Africa with Addition of First Nonstop Flights between Atlanta and Lagos, Nigeria, Delta Airlines website, retrieved February 22, 2007

[edit] External links

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