- Murtala Muhammed International Airport
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Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) 
IATA: LOS – ICAO: DNMM Location of Airport in Lagos
LOSSummary Airport type Public Owner/Operator Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Serves Lagos, Nigeria Location Ikeja Hub for Arik Air
Air NigeriaElevation AMSL 135 ft / 41 m Coordinates 06°34′38″N 003°19′16″E / 6.57722°N 3.32111°E Runways Direction Length Surface m ft 18R/36L 3,900 12,794 Asphalt 18L/36R 2,743 8,999 Asphalt Statistics (2010) Passengers 6,299,257 Sources: List of the busiest airports in Africa, FAAN [1] and DAFIF [2][3] Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)[1] (IATA: LOS, ICAO: DNMM) is an international airport located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. Originally known as Lagos International Airport, it was renamed midway during construction after a former Nigerian military head of state Murtala Muhammed. The international terminal was modelled after Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The airport opened officially on 15 March 1979. It is the main base for Nigeria's flag carrier airlines, Air Nigeria and Arik Air.
Murtala Muhammed International Airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal, located about one kilometre from each other. Both terminals share the same runways. This domestic terminal used to be the old Ikeja Airport. International operations moved to the new international airport when it was ready while domestic operations moved to the Ikeja Airport, which became the domestic airport. The domestic operations were relocated to the old Lagos domestic terminal in 2000 after a fire. A new domestic privately funded terminal known as MMA2 has been constructed and was commissioned on 7 April 2007.
In 2009, the airport served 5,644,572 passengers.[4]
Contents
History
During the late 1980s and 1990s, the international terminal had a reputation of being a dangerous airport. From 1992 through 2000, the US Federal Aviation Administration posted warning signs in all US international airports advising travelers that security conditions at LOS did not meet ICAO minimum standards. In 1993, the FAA suspended air service between Lagos and the United States. During this period, security at LOS continued to be a serious problem.[citation needed] Travelers arriving in Lagos were harassed both inside and outside of the airport terminal by criminals. Airport staff contributed to its reputation. Immigration officers required bribes before stamping passports, while customs agents demanded payment for nonexistent fees. In addition, several jet airplanes were attacked by criminals who stopped planes taxiing to and from the terminal and robbed their cargo holds. Many travel guides suggested that Nigeria-bound travelers fly into Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and take domestic flights or ground transportation into Lagos.
Following Olusegun Obasanjo's democratic election in 1999, the security situation at LOS began to improve. Airport police instituted a "shoot on sight" policy for anyone found in the secure areas around runways and taxiways, stopping further airplane robberies. Police secured the inside of the terminal and the arrival areas outside. The FAA ended its suspension of direct flights to Nigeria in 2001 in recognition of these security improvements.[citation needed]
Recent years have seen substantial improvements at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Malfunctioning and non-operational infrastructure such as air conditioning and luggage belts have been repaired. The entire airport has been cleaned, and many new restaurants and duty-free stores have opened. Bilateral Air Services Agreements signed between Nigeria and other countries are being revived and new ones signed. These agreements have seen the likes of Emirates, Ocean Air, Delta and China Southern Airlines express interest and receive landing rights to Nigeria's largest international airport.
The Federal Government has given approval for the expansion of the departure and arrival halls of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to accommodate the ever increasing traffic at the airport.[citation needed]
Terminals, airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations Terminal Aero Contractors Accra INTL Aero Contractors Abuja, Benin City, Calabar, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Warri MMA2 Afriqiyah Airways Tripoli [suspended] INTL Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle INTL Air Mali Accra, Bamako INTL Air Nigeria Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Brazzaville, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Libreville, London-Gatwick, Monrovia, São Tomé INTL Air Nigeria Abuja, Benin City, Enugu, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto MMA2 Alitalia Rome-Fiumicino INTL Arik Air Abu Dhabi [begins 29 November][5], Accra, Banjul, Dakar, Freetown, Johannesburg, London-Heathrow, Monrovia, New York-JFK INTL Arik Air Abuja, Asaba, Benin City, Calabar, Enugu, Gombe, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Uyo, Warri, Yola GA ASKY Airlines Bangui, Cotonou, Kinshasa, Lome, Libreville, Yaoundé INTL Associated Aviation Benin City, Ibadan GA British Airways London-Heathrow INTL Chanchangi Airlines Abuja MMA2 Camairco Douala GA Continental Airlines Houston-Intercontinental INTL Dana Air Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Uyo MMA2 Delta Air Lines Atlanta INTL EgyptAir Cairo INTL Emirates Dubai INTL Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa INTL First Nation Airways Abuja MMA2 Iberia Airlines Madrid INTL IRS Airlines Abuja, Gombe, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Yola MMA2 Kenya Airways Nairobi INTL KLM Amsterdam INTL Lufthansa Frankfurt INTL Middle East Airlines Beirut INTL Overland Airways Asaba, Ibadan, Ilorin GA Qatar Airways Doha INTL Royal Air Maroc Casablanca, Cotonou INTL Royal Jordanian Amman-Queen Alia [begins 3 December] INTL Rwandair Kigali [begins 3 December] INTL South African Airways Johannesburg INTL Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk INTL Virgin Atlantic Airways London-Heathrow INTL Cargo airlines
Airlines Destinations DHL Air UK Brussels Air France Cargo Ndjamena, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Allied Air Ostend Avient Aviation Liège, Sharjah Cargolux Luxembourg Etihad Crystal Cargo Abu Dhabi Saudi Arabian Airlines Jeddah, Riyadh Turkish Airlines Cargo Istanbul-Atatürk Composition
The airport includes the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.[6] It also houses the head office of the Accident Investigation Bureau.[7] The Lagos office of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority is located in Aviation House on the grounds of the airport.[8]
Arik Air's head office is in the Arik Air Aviation Center on the grounds of the airport.[9] Aero Contractors has its head office in the Private Terminal of the Domestic Wing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.[10][11]
Prior to its disestablishment Afrijet Airlines had its head office in the NAHCO Building on the grounds of the airport.[12]
Statistics
Statistics for Murtala Muhammed International Airport [13][14] Year Total Passengers % Increase Freight (tons) Total Aircraft Movements 2003 3,362,464 -% 51,826 62,439 2004 3,576,189 6% 89,496 67,208 2005 3,817,338 6.3% 63,807 70,893 2006 3,848,757 0.8% 83,598 74,650 2007 4,162,424 7.5% 81,537 2008 5,136,920 23.4% 77,472 2009 5,644,572 9.9% 84,588 Accidents and incidents
- Early in 1981,[15] Douglas C-47B 5N-ARA of Arax Airlines was damaged beyond repair in an accident and was subsequently reduced to spares.[16]
- On 28 November 2003, Lagos control cleared Hydro Air 501, a Boeing 747-200 from Brussels Airport for a landing at Runway 19R. The aircraft ended up hitting a stack of asphalt, then slewed left with its first engine in contact with the surface until the nose wheel came to rest in a drainage ditch. The Ministry of Aviation report concluded that the cause of the accident was that the aircraft was cleared to land on a runway that was “supposed” to have been closed.
- On 22 October 2005, Bellview Airlines Flight 210, bound for Abuja, crashed after takeoff, killing everyone on board.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.- ^ a b Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN): Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos
- ^ Airport information for DNMM at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ^ Airport information for LOS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^ Murtala Muhammed International Airport Passenger Numbers 2008
- ^ http://www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-News/2011/10/arik-air-commences-service-to-abu-dhabi/052475
- ^ "Contact Information." Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria. Retrieved on 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Home." Accident Investigation Bureau. Retrieved on 4 November 2011. "HEAD OFFICE Muritala Muhammed International Airport P.M.B 016, MMIA,Ikeja, Lagos"
- ^ "Contact Us." Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 9 September 2010.
- ^ "New aircraft to make arik air the largest commercial carrier in nigeria arik air reflects on six months of flying “the new experience”." Arik Air. 28 March 2007. Retrieved on 8 September 2010. "For more information, please contact: Gbemiga Ogunieye, Head of Communications, Arik Air Ltd, Arik Air Aviation Centre, Murtula Muhammed Domestic Airport, PO Box 10468, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria."
- ^ "Privacy Policy." Aero Contractors. Retrieved on 8 September 2010. "Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Limited, (Private Terminal), Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria."
- ^ "Offices & Phone Numbers." Aero Contractors. Retrieved on 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Directory:World airlines." Flight International. 16-22 March 2004. 53.
- ^ Statistics from Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
- ^ Additional Statistics
- ^ "African/Arab Countries". Aviation in Malta. http://www.aviationinmalta.com/CivilGeneralAviation/DC3/Miaco/tabid/432/language/en-US/Default.aspx. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "5N-ARA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19819999-4. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
External links
- Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos
- Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (Domestic Terminal)
- Current weather for DNMM at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for LOS at Aviation Safety Network
10 Biggest African Airports OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) · Cairo International Airport · Cape Town International Airport · Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport · Hurghada International Airport · Mohammed V International Airport (Casablanca) · Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Lagos) · Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi) · Houari Boumedienne Airport (Algiers) · King Shaka International Airport (Durban) ·
Categories:- Airports in Nigeria
- Lagos
- Lagos State
- USAAF Air Transport Command Airfields - Central and South Africa
- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces
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