Lagos airport restricts parking as 1,300-lot facility opens

Murtala Muhammed International Airport

•New car park to run on 30-year concession plan

Management of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, has restricted parking of cars at and around the airport as a designated car park officially opened for that purpose.

By the new arrangement, land-side vicinity of the international aerodrome will only accommodate drop-off, while the new ultramodern car park will be for parking and picking of passengers and other airport users.

The new car park facility, built at the cost of N8 billion, is a partnership between Seymour Aviation Limited and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Under the Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement, Seymour Aviation will run the 1,300 parking lots that spread across the six-level structure for the next 30 years.

Managing Director of FAAN, Saleh Dunoma, at the grand opening recently, said the facility was overdue, yet timely to facilitate passenger movement, indiscriminate parking and traffic at the busiest airport in the country.

Dunoma, who was represented by the Director of Engineering Services, Salisu Daura, added that FAAN had also put in place measures for full utilisation and seamless operation of the concession agreement, one of which is restriction of illegal parking around the airport.

In addition, all commercial operators have been moved to the temporary car park.For proper enforcement, Dunoma said that a task force, comprising of FAAN officials, police, airforce, Aviation Security and towing operators, had been set up to clampdown on violators.

Managing Director of Seymour Aviation Limited, Francis Ikenga, said that the six-level ultramodern complex was dream come through for Seymour, FAAN and Fidelity Bank that financed the venture,The facility, according to Ikenga, was build to international standard and for comfort and convenience of airport users.