The Minister of State aviation, senator Hadi Sirika says the Murtala Murtala Mohammed International Airport terminal MMIA, can no longer handle the increased passenger traffic being witnessed today.
He said the terminal was built to handle 200,000 passengers but today was handling millions passengers thereby over stretching the facilities there in.
Speaking at the 6th stakeholders forum in Lagos, Sirika said to rehabilitate the MMIA would require about 14 billion Naira.
“The Lagos airport was built to handle N200,000 people but today Lagos airport is handling eight million people. So it must collapse. Julius Berger will help give it the new look it requires.
“The airport generates most of the income, so it is only right we give it facelift it requires,” Sirika added.
The Minister assured that the new Lagos airport terminal would be completed by the end of this year, and some of the operations at the old terminal could be moved to the new airport.
He disclosed that it was only after the new terminal was completed that the old one would be brought down for the commencement of rehabilitation work.
On his achievements in the industry, Sirika disclosed that out of 157 aviation projects the administration set out to achieve, it had completed about 130 of such projects.
He insisted that the federal government was judiciously following the aviation roadmap, stressing that the national carrier project and plans for the development of aerotropolis were still on course.
