Discussions on financing the planned extension of the Lagos Mass Transit Red Line to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) are at an advanced stage, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, has said.
The project, planned in collaboration with the Nigerian Government, FAAN and the Lagos State Government, is expected to link the airport’s three terminals to the Red Line as part of the wider airport modernisation programme.
Speaking as a keynote panellist at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon, Portugal, Kuku said efforts were ongoing to finalise the project’s financing structure.
“We are actually working on completing the financing of the capital structure for that project,” she said.
Kuku said the proposed rail connection would improve transport between Lagos and the airport, with five stops within the airport serving its terminals and cargo facilities.
“It allows us to connect the city very quickly to the airport with five stops within our airport. It connects our terminals and links our cargo terminals to the last stop,” she said, adding that the project would require collaboration between the Lagos and Nigerian governments.
On the ongoing upgrade of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Kuku said the project would improve efficiency and make the facility more passenger-friendly through better infrastructure and modern technology.
She said Lagos accounts for 68 per cent of Nigeria’s air traffic, while Abuja and Kano are among the country’s other major aviation hubs.
According to her, the three airports handle 80 per cent of passenger traffic, making it necessary for FAAN to balance investment in the busiest facilities with the needs of other airports under its management.
Kuku said safety remained a major consideration in determining the agency’s investment priorities, with much of its spending directed towards airside infrastructure and the rehabilitation of major airports.
“In the last three years, we focused on rehabilitating our major airports and the primary international airports,” she said.
She added that runway rehabilitation, including resurfacing runway extensions where possible, and the installation of improved airfield lighting systems were among the ongoing projects at two of Nigeria’s six international airports.
On Lagos airport specifically, Kuku said Terminal 1 was undergoing a comprehensive overhaul but would not be expanded.
Instead, the work would focus on improving the terminal’s layout, including immigration and customs facilities, increasing the efficiency of service counters and introducing modern technology to improve passenger experience.
“We’re changing the layout with immigration and customs, the number of counters that you have, making it a lot more passenger-friendly, ensuring that we have modernised technology and infrastructure that makes travel easier for passengers,” she said.