Murtala Mohammed International Airport
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| Murtala Mohammed International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: LOS - ICAO: DNMM | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | public | ||
| Operator | Nigerian Ministry of Aviation | ||
| Serves | Lagos | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 131 ft (40 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 1L/19R | 12,795 | 3,900 | Paved |
| 1R/19L | 9,000 | 2,743 | Paved |
Murtala Mohammed International Airport (IATA: LOS, ICAO: DNMM) is located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving the city of Lagos, southwestern Nigeria and the entire nation. It was named after former Nigerian military head of state Murtala Ramat Mohammed. The international terminal was modeled after Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
Murtala Mohammed International Airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal, located about 1km from each other. Both terminals share the same runways, though runway 01L/19R is currently closed for repaving. It is expected to reopen in 2006. The domestic terminal was relocated to the old Lagos domestic terminal in 2000 after a fire. A new domestic terminal is currently under construction.
In 2004, the airport served 3,695,714 passengers.
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[edit] History and Reputation
During the late 1980s and 1990s, the international terminal had a reputation as 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. Travellers 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 travellers 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 aeroplane robberies. Police secured the inside of the terminal and the arrival areas outside. The FAA ended its suspension of direct flights to Nigeria 2001 in recognition of these security improvements.
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. Airlines expected to begin operation soon to MMIA include Qatar Airways (Doha), Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca), Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur) and an undisclosed Argentine airline.
Britain's Channel 4 television network filmed a reality television series based at the international terminal. The six thirty-minute episodes aired in November and December 1999 and showed the lives of those who lived and worked at the airport.
[edit] International and Regional Airlines
- Afriqiyah Airways (Tripoli)
- Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
- Air Gabon (Libreville)
- Alitalia (Accra, Milan-Malpensa)
- Bellview Airlines (Abidjan, Accra, Banjul, Conakry, Dakar, Douala, Freetown, Libreville, London-Heathrow, Monrovia, Mumbai, Nairobi)
- British Airways (London-Heathrow)
- China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou)
- EgyptAir (Cairo)
- Emirates (Dubai)
- Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa, Accra)
- Iberia Airlines (Madrid)
- Kenya Airways (Nairobi)
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)
- Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Accra)
- Middle East Airlines (Beirut)
- North American Airlines (New York-JFK)
- South African Airways (Johannesburg)
- Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk)
- Virgin Atlantic Airways (London-Heathrow)
- Virgin Nigeria (Accra, Dakar, Douala, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg, London-Gatwick)
- World Airways (Atlanta, New York-JFK, Newark, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles)
[edit] Domestic Airlines
- Aerocontractors Company of Nigeria (Abuja, Benin, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri)
- Albarka Airlines (Abuja, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Yola)
- Arik Air (Abuja, Benin, Calabar, Enugu, Kano) [starts Oct 30th]
- Bellview Airlines (Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt)
- Chanchangi Airlines (Abuja, Kaduna, Port Harcourt)
- EAS Airlines (Abuja, Enugu, Jos, Port Harcourt)
- IRS Airlines (Abuja, Calabar, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Yola)
- Kabo Air (Kano)
- Sosoliso Airlines (Enugu, Port Harcourt)
- SPDC (Shell Private Airlines) (Warri, Port Harcourt)
- Virgin Nigeria (Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt)
