| Murta Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: LOS – ICAO: DNMM
LOS
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner/Operator | Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) | ||
| Serves | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Location | Ikeja | ||
| Hub for | Arik Air Air Nigeria |
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| 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: LOS, ICAO: 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]
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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]
| 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 |
| 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 |
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]
| 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% |
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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