Five airports in Nigeria are all set to get new terminals by early next year, following which the West African nation could become the continent’s aviation hub
According to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) managing director Saleh Dunoma, the airports – namely at Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu – will improve passenger comfort, increase capacity and generally improve facilitation after the terminals are constructed.
The terminals are being constructed in accordance to the globally recognised aviation standards of safety and regulation. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has listed criteria that include state-of-the-art airport and air navigation facilities, adequate fire cover, airport safety and security, perimeter fencing, airport certification, transit facilities as well as accelerated passenger facilitation.
The new terminals are being constructed with a US$500mn loan secured from a China-based bank, in addition to a counterpart funding of US$100mn from the Nigerian government on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
The terminals are likely to be completed by Q1 2016, confirmed the aviation ministry permanent secretary Hajia Binta Bello.
