The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos is experiencing the Christmas rush, been Nigeria’s busiest aviation gateway, as the festive mood is further compounded by traffic gridlock.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN says they are prepared and trying hard to contend with the traffic management especially at the Terminal Two of the airport with on going construction work
FAAN’s Airport Chief of Security Anthony Idokogi in an interview with Swiftnews spoke on the efforts of effective traffic management at the MMIA, He disclosed that there are alot of bottlenecks with regards to traffic gridlock due to the increase in passengers volume but that the Agency is prepared to handle the situation
Idokogi stated that “So what we are doing in retrospect is, we have series of taskforce that we set up, traffic management is the main call. Sometimes we have three to four flights all arriving at the same time, most of each having 300 passengers on each flight, multiple that, you see the ripple effect ”
He noted that with such flights arriving, while the airport security officials struggle to keep the flow moving, there is rising passenger traffic occassioned by families and friends who have come to pick or drop passengers at the same time.
The FAAN aviation security chief, enjoined the travelling public who are departing to come to the airport four hours before their flight departures, so that they can actively clear all the procedures for their flight in good time.
For the arriving passengers he stressed that “some of the major problems we are having is people coming with numerous vehicles and VIPs with escort and we have advice that only the principal vehicles approach the terminal, where we have separated area to park for them, while the escorts and other vehicles park afar off, so once they have completed their procedures, they can go”
Idokogi further stated that “We have three teams that have been set up, even from headquarters level. We have senior managers who have come from time to time to help in traffic management, we have the airport security committee which encompasses all security agencies within the airport ”
He disclosed that they are partnering with Lagos State.” Lagos State has also provided us with operatives from LASTMA, to assist with the FRSC, Aviation Security, AVSEC,as well as police in traffic management that we are having presently “
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