Eko Hot Blog reports that the passengers travelling through the new Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) airport terminal in the last few days have experienced severe delays.
According to a report by BusinessDay, the uncontrolled crowd, the confused passengers, the luggage littered around the airport terminal and the unusual flight delays and cancellations due to airlines’ inability to process its passengers within the time allowed have made the airport terminal look more like a marketplace.
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Air passengers are required to be at the airport at least two or three hours before the scheduled departure of the Aeroplane, Still, with the current situation at MMIA, if passengers are not at the airport at least four to five hours before flight time, they are likely to miss their flights.
Last week, Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, directed airlines and companies operating at the MMIA old airport terminal to move to the new terminal, constructed by the Chinese company, to allow for total repair and overhaul of the old terminal.
The Minister had given a deadline of October 1 2023, for the relocation.
However, the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had to fast-track the implementation of this directive in response to the recent fire outbreak, which raised safety concerns and affected passengers’ movements.
The development has since led to an influx of passengers at the new terminal.
Airlines have since grappled with terminal congestion, resulting in flight delays and cancellations, leaving several passengers stranded.
Read also Congestion at new MMIA terminal halts operations, leaves passengers stranded
While eight airlines were initially operating at the new terminal before the relocation, 13 more airlines had relocated to the airport, making 21 airlines depart from the facility.
Foreign airlines had complained about the apron capacity at the new terminal, which they said cannot accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.
Although several buses have been made available to convey passengers to the aircraft after going through the check-in formalities, this has not helped airport authorities and airlines manage the current influx and congestion at the new Lagos terminal.
BusinessDay’s findings show that it would take an average passenger about an hour to enter the new terminal due to the long queues.
It will take passengers another two hours to get their tickets, get their luggage screened and processed for the aeroplane, and go through checkpoints requiring that passengers present personal items in the available trays, separated from their hand baggage.
Passengers would spend another hour thirty minutes or more to pass through immigration officials and other officials who check your travel documents, such as tickets and visas, to ensure they are valid for travel.
FURTHER READING
With these long processes passengers undergo before they get to sit inside the aircraft, it is only helpful that passengers get to the airport five hours before boarding.
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