Nigeria Content Online

Indigenous airline operators in the country have criticised the decay of infrastructure at the nation’s premier airport.

This is coming
after last week’s over three hours power breakdown that was experienced
at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, which left
hundreds of international travellers stranded at the terminals of the
airport.

“We had mentioned
that these airports were a serious embarrassment to our nation, and we
wondered many times whether we are really serious about improving
aviation,” said Mohammed Tukur, assistant secretary general, Airline
Operators of Nigeria (AON), over the weekend.

Describing the
recent incident at the international airport as “an unbelievable
embarrassment to Nigeria,” Mr. Tukur disclosed that the disgrace should
be addressed by the appropriate authorities.

“This scandal is
simply unacceptable. It is obvious to all discerning Nigerians that the
Murtala Muhammed International Airport has failed. It is over crowded
and poorly managed,” he asserted.

Last week Thursday,
the Senate directed the committee on aviation to look into the issue of
the power outages at the Lagos airport which paralyzed flight
activities.

Mr. Tukur, however,
called on the government to move some of the airlines operating at the
international terminal to the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2), adding
that Nigeria’s image should not be further tarnished by the
developments at the international airport.

He urged the
Federal Government to implement programmes that would provide better
facilities for travellers and users of airports in the country.

According to him, for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria
(FAAN) to function efficiently, debts owed it by airlines and users of
the authority’s facilities must be reconciled.