Raising the bar in airport facilities

Raising the bar in airport facilities as new terminals beckon

Air travel in Nigeria rebounded from its post 2005 downturn and reached new highs in both domestic and international travel. Enplanements on Nigerian carriers for both domestic and international flights totalled about seven million at the time. By 2006, that number had risen marginally to about 9 million. Since then, traffic has been growing.

Last year figure of more than 11 million according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was heart warming. This was majorly due to good air safety record that the country has enjoyed since 2006.

The high safety record has engendered confidence in a sector that was at the brink of collapse.

While passenger traffic was growing in Nigeria, existing infrastructure was deteriorating at an alarming speed. The airport terminals across the country were outdated, begging for upgrade. This equally exposed the underbelly of the entire system.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Olusegun Harold Demuren  last year summed up the frustration of many users of the facilities when he said, "airports are no longer built this way. Our airport terminals are outdated, not functioning and a big discomfort to many travellers".

@lereboy

Courtesy

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