Aviation Minister Inspects Work At MMIA

Posted By Ewos IRORO

The Hon. Minister inspecting one of the new fingers

The Honourable Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, on December 24, 2013, visited the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos to inspect expansion works at the D and E wings as well as other newly introduced facilities currently under construction within the airport terminal. Facilities inspected include the Extended Departure and Arrival Halls, new in-bound baggage reclaim carousels, on-going construction work on “Fingers” as well as Transit Facilities. The extended Departures Halls feature five state-of-the-art screening machines and two Body Scanners at each of the wings in addition to 30 new immigration counters.A distinguishing feature of the new screening machines is the ability to detect explosive materials and potential threat items real time with the lowest rate of false alarms.

The newly installed modern Immigration counters

The introduction of the thirty newly installed immigration counters as against the previous nine promises to take the face of facilitation in MMIA to another level as well as significantly reduce processing times in a more conducive atmosphere. Also inspected were the newly installed In-bound Baggage Reclaim carousels at each of the Arrival Halls. The high- speed carousels are smoother, easier to maintain and more resistant to luggage jams than the older ones installed several decades ago. This translates into accelerated baggage retrieval, reduced waiting times and improved travel experience.

Another highlight of the visit was the inspection of the on-going construction of 2 new additional fingers as well as new Transit Facilities. The visit afforded members of the media the chance to appreciate, first hand, the cause of some leakages experienced at the Terminal recently. The Director of Maintenance and Engineering, Engr. Femi Ogunode, who was also standing-in for the MD of FAAN, was on hand to explain to the Minister that the construction work on the new Fingers affected the sealant on the existing Terrace on which the Fingers were built, resulting in dripping of water in some sections of the Terminal. He said measures have been put in place to check the said leakages, promising that service levels in the airport will continue to be tailored to passengers’ needs.

The Hon. Minister making a point to a Contractor

The two new additional Fingers located on the 2nd level of the Terminal building and each measuring 3,074 sqm, and seating atop the existing Fingers represent a major capacity increase with all the attendant benefits. Hitherto, arriving and departing passengers made common use of the Fingers, albeit with a glass partition separating them. However, with the new development, each of the two new Fingers will be exclusively for Departures while the existing ones will be dedicated to Arrivals, thus enhancing safety, security, and facilitation. The Transit Facility, located on the 3rd floor of the Terminal building, consists of nine standard lounges, and 20 hotel rooms for transiting passengers. It is worthy of note that the Transit Facility is a major requirement for a hub operations. With this development, MMIA is set for a sub-regional hub status in line with the vision of the administration.