Nigeria's Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator
Anyim Pius Anyim, last Monday officially opened Lagos's Murtala
Mohammed Airport's newly remodelled domestic terminal popularly called the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), built at a cost of USD4.1million.
Construction began in November, 2011, when the old terminal building that was built in the 1950s was demolished.
The terminal is the first commissioned under the under the first phase
of the Airport Remodelling Project; a project consisting of 11
currently ongoing airport remodelling projects that are financed by a concessionary loan from the China Exim Bank over 22 years with 5 years moratorium at an interest rate of 2 per cent.
The new terminal specifications include:
- A total area of roughly 4000 sqm
- Capacity for 12 arriving commercial airplanes at peak period
- 1500 departing passengers daily, translating to 1.8 million/annum
- Departures Lounge of size 829 sqm
- Arrivals Lounge of size 982 sqm
- A Check-in-area of size 1550 sqm.
The increase
will make passenger facilitation and cargo processing faster and
easier.
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During Construction
Completed
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| Murtala Mohammed Airport's General Aviation Terminal (GAT) |
However, despite the rosy atmosphere at the opening ceremony, a looming legal battle over the concession rights to the new GAT is looming as Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), the current concessioner for Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2), claim the GAT to be under their jurisdiction, as it is built on land occupied by the old Domestic Terminal that burnt down in 2001, a claim the Government disputes.
The ownership status of the GAT has been a huge bone of contention between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and BASL since 2003 as the former argues that the GAT extension of the old gutted terminal where MMA2 is located, was not part of the original concession to BASL, hence it has no rights to its operations.
BASL, however, claims the FAAN ceded the development of the GAT to it, in addition to MMA2, on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis upon the signing of its concession agreement with Bi-Courtney on April 24, 2003 to design, build and operate MMA2 and any other terminal in Lagos for 36 years for the firm to recoup its investment..
Despite a series of court cases in which BASL dragged the FAAN to court and obtained judgments against it, the FAAN has largely ignored BASL claims.
BASL, however, claims the FAAN ceded the development of the GAT to it, in addition to MMA2, on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis upon the signing of its concession agreement with Bi-Courtney on April 24, 2003 to design, build and operate MMA2 and any other terminal in Lagos for 36 years for the firm to recoup its investment..
Despite a series of court cases in which BASL dragged the FAAN to court and obtained judgments against it, the FAAN has largely ignored BASL claims.