FAAN targets 30m passengers on completion of Airport terminal

With the completion of the new terminal in Lagos, the terminal will be able to process additional 15 million passengers, which mean we will be able to service about 30 million passengers.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says it is targeting to handle 30 million passengers traffic after completion of the ongoing terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

FAAN's General Manager, Corporate Affairs Yakubu Dati made this known when he spoke with aviation correspondents in Lagos on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FAAN presently handles 15 million passengers, but has projected an additional traffic of 15 million before the end of 2016.

Dati expressed optimism that a more safe and secured airport would be witnessed this year when the new terminals under construction would be completed.


"With the completion of the new terminal in Lagos, the terminal will be able to process additional 15 million passengers, which mean we will be able to service about 30 million passengers.
"All these are things put together to raise aviation to a new level this year,’’ he said, noting that security had been repositioned across the airports to meet the challenges ahead.

Dati said that FAAN security operatives and other security agencies had deployed detecting machines such as screening machine, CCTV, full body scanners and personal intelligence.

He said that the equipment were to ensure easy facilitation of passengers across the country's airports.
According to him, FAAN is looking forward to partnering with investors as a result of dwindling resources in line with the statement credited to the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.

Dati, therefore, appealed to FAAN concessionaire, especially airlines, to pay their debts to agencies in order to enable them to continue rendering services.

On the preparation for the forthcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Audit in March, he disclosed that a mock was conducted by the Airport Council International (ACI) team recently.
He said that during a visit to facilities at the airport, some open areas identified would be closed before the audit date.

He expressed confidence that Nigeria would scale through, adding that FAAN was doing everything possible to ensure that the country would not disappoint Dr Bernard Aliu, the President of ICAO and a Nigerian.

On the certification of airports in the country, Dati said a team was working round the clock with other agencies to ensure that all gaps were closed.