Murtala Muhammed International Airport

Murta Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)
IATA: LOSICAO: DNMM
LOS
Location of Airport in Lagos
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)
Serves Lagos, Nigeria
Location Ikeja
Hub for Arik Air
Air Nigeria
Elevation AMSL 135 ft / 41 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18R/36L 3,900 12,794 Asphalt
18L/36R 2,743 8,999 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Passengers 6,299,257
Sources: List of the busiest airports in Africa, FAAN [1] and DAFIF [2][3]

Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)[1] (IATA: LOSICAO: DNMM) is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction after a former Nigerian military head of state Murtala Mohammed. The international terminal was modelled after Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The airport opened officially on 15 March 1979. It is the main base for Nigeria's flag carrier airlines, Air Nigeria and Arik Air.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal, located about one kilometre from each other. Both terminals share the same runways. This domestic terminal used to be the old Ikeja Airport. International operations moved to the new international airport when it was ready while domestic operations moved to the Ikeja Airport, which became the domestic airport. The domestic operations were relocated to the old Lagos domestic terminal in 2000 after a fire. A new domestic privately funded terminal known as MMA2 has been constructed and was commissioned on 7 April 2007.

In 2009, the airport served 5,644,572 passengers.[4]

Contents

History

During the late 1980s and 1990s, the international terminal had a reputation of being 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. Travelers 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 travelers 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 airplane robberies. Police secured the inside of the terminal and the arrival areas outside. The FAA ended its suspension of direct flights to Nigeria in 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. These agreements have seen the likes of Emirates, Ocean Air, Delta and China Southern Airlines express interest and receive landing rights to Nigeria's largest international airport.

The Federal Government has given approval for the expansion of the departure and arrival halls of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to accommodate the ever increasing traffic at the airport.

The airport continues to have serious security breaches. In December 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a plane armed with explosives hidden underneath his clothes with the goal of blowing up a plane traveling from a connection in Amsterdam to the United States.[5] In December 2010, armed robbers stole voting equipment intended for the 2011 elections from the airport.[5]

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations Terminal
Aero Contractors Accra INTL
Aero Contractors Abuja, Benin City, Calabar, Enugu, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Warri MMA2
Afriqiyah Airways Tripoli [suspended] INTL
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle INTL
Air Nigeria Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Brazzaville, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Libreville, London-Gatwick, Monrovia, São Tomé INTL
Air Nigeria Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto MMA2
Alitalia Rome-Fiumicino INTL
Arik Air Accra, Bamako, Banjul, Cotonou, Dakar, Freetown, Johannesburg, London-Heathrow, Luanda, Monrovia, New York-JFK, Ougadougou INTL
Arik Air Abuja, Asaba, Benin City, Calabar, Enugu, Gombe, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Uyo, Warri, Yola GA
ASKY Airlines Bangui, Cotonou, Kinshasa, Lome, Libreville, Yaoundé INTL
Associated Aviation Benin City, Ibadan GA
British Airways London-Heathrow INTL
Chanchangi Airlines Abuja MMA2
Dana Air Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo MMA2
Delta Air Lines Atlanta INTL
EgyptAir Cairo INTL
Emirates Dubai INTL
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa INTL
First Nation Airways Abuja, Port Harcourt MMA2,]
Iberia Airlines Madrid INTL
IRS Airlines Abuja, Gombe, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Yola MMA2
Kenya Airways Nairobi INTL
KLM Amsterdam INTL
Lufthansa Frankfurt INTL
Middle East Airlines Beirut INTL
Overland Airways Asaba, Ibadan, Ilorin GA
Qatar Airways Doha INTL
Royal Air Maroc Casablanca, Cotonou INTL
Rwandair Kigali INTL
South African Airways Johannesburg INTL
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk INTL
United Airlines Houston-Intercontinental INTL
Virgin Atlantic Airways London-Heathrow INTL

Cargo airlines

Airlines Destinations
DHL Air UK Brussels
Air France Cargo Ndjamena, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Allied Air Ostend
Avient Aviation Liège, Sharjah
Cargolux Luxembourg
Etihad Crystal Cargo Abu Dhabi
Saudi Arabian Airlines Jeddah, Riyadh
Turkish Airlines Cargo Istanbul-Atatürk

Composition

The airport includes the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.[6] It also houses the head office of the Accident Investigation Bureau.[7] The Lagos office of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is located in Aviation House on the grounds of the airport.[8]

Arik Air's head office is in the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of the airport.[9] Aero Contractors has its head office in the Private Terminal of the Domestic Wing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.[10][11]

Prior to its disestablishment Afrijet Airlines had its head office in the NAHCO Building on the grounds of the airport.[12]

Statistics

Statistics for Murtala Muhammed International Airport [13][14]
Year Total Passengers  % Increase Freight (tons) Total Aircraft Movements
2003 3,362,464 -% 51,826 62,439
2004 3,576,189 6% 89,496 67,208
2005 3,817,338 6.3% 63,807 70,893
2006 3,848,757 0.8% 83,598 74,650
2007 4,162,424 7.5% 81,537
2008 5,136,920 23.4% 77,472
2009 5,644,572 9.9% 84,588
2010 6,270,000 11.1%

Accidents and incidents

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ^ a b Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN): Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos
  2. ^ Airport information for DNMM at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
  3. ^ Airport information for LOS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
  4. ^ Murtala Muhammed International Airport Passenger Numbers 2008
  5. ^ a b Nigeria voter registration kit stolen at airport, BBC, December 9, 2010.
  6. ^ "Contact Information." Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. Retrieved on 8 September 2010.
  7. ^ "Home." Accident Investigation Bureau. Retrieved on 4 November 2011. "HEAD OFFICE Muritala Muhammed International Airport P.M.B 016, MMIA,Ikeja, Lagos"
  8. ^ "Contact Us." Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 9 September 2010.
  9. ^ "New aircraft to make arik air the largest commercial carrier in nigeria arik air reflects on six months of flying “the new experience”." Arik Air. 28 March 2007. Retrieved on 8 September 2010. "For more information, please contact: Gbemiga Ogunieye, Head of Communications, Arik Air Ltd, Arik Air Aviation Centre, Murtula Muhammed Domestic Airport, PO Box 10468, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria."
  10. ^ "Privacy Policy." Aero Contractors. Retrieved on 8 September 2010. "Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Limited, (Private Terminal), Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria."
  11. ^ "Offices & Phone Numbers." Aero Contractors. Retrieved on 8 September 2010.
  12. ^ "Directory:World airlines." Flight International. 16-22 March 2004. 53.
  13. ^ Statistics from Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
  14. ^ Additional Statistics
  15. ^ "African/Arab Countries". Aviation in Malta. http://www.aviationinmalta.com/CivilGeneralAviation/DC3/Miaco/tabid/432/language/en-US/Default.aspx. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 
  16. ^ "5N-ARA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19819999-4. Retrieved 24 July 2010. 

External links

Nigeria portal
Aviation portal
World War II portal