MM2 : FG Approves Expansion Plan
Quote From Thisday Newspaper
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The concern about space and safety issues expres-sed by Virgin Nigeria on the new domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Interna-tional Airport, Lagos, are being addressed by the Federal Government, THISDAY has learnt.
Following last week’s directive by the Federal Government that Arik Air and Virgin Nigeria should move their domestic operations from the international wing of the airport to MM2, the new domestic terminal, Virgin Nigeria had secured an order from the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, retraining the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from forcing it out of the international terminal.
The national carrier complained that it was a violation of its fundamental basis of its formation, “which is creating a hub in Lagos as stipulated by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its technical partners”, while also alleging that an International Air Transport Association (IATA) report has not given MM2 “safety operational status”.
However, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, has told THISDAY that there are plans to expand the new terminal in order to accommodate all the airlines and address the issue of space constraint, adding that the terminal currently has six aprons.
The NCAA building, he said, would be demolished to create more space for the terminal, while the whole General Aviation Terminal (GAT) – which is primarily for private operations – would also be made part of the terminal.
“At the end, it would be large enough to accommodate both existing and future airlines in the country,” he said.
On the IATA report, which Virgin Nigeria is referring to in its newspaper adverts, Demuren asked the public to be cautious in alluding to it “because its authenticity is questionable”.
He said: “We have to be very careful about that. “IATA very soon will make a statement. We should be very careful about that. It is very contentious. There was a report like that but it is very contentious. A lot of people believe that the report is suspicious. So we need to wait. It will soon be settled. But you have to understand one thing: IATA is talking of the level of operation that will take place there. That is, if all the airlines move to the place as it is now, it will become unsafe.”
He also cautioned against frustrating Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, operators of MM2, which is the first public-private partnership project successfully executed in the industry, remarking that it was the same government that signed the memorandum of understanding with Virgin Nigeria that also signed an agreement for the building of the terminal – and it is also the same government that asked the airline to move its domestic operations to the domestic terminal.
“There was no GAT before. The airport was burnt; government or Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) could not raise money to build another one, and this private investor built one. That is what we have to understand. They have to recover their investment. That’s how we came into the agreement. You have to understand that they invested so much money into that place so they have to recover their money. If not, Nigeria, this industry, will never have PPP again and it is very important that it should be encouraged. PPP is a great idea. It is a way to go. It is a great opportunity and if we miss it, it is going to affect development in this country,” Demuren said, expressing the hope that there would be an amicable settlement of the problem. "
Regards
DMan