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…FAAN commences apron expansion, MM2 adopts slot system
Nigeria’s airports are running out of parking space for aircraft.
The development is deepening congestion and raising fears of more delays at busy terminals like Lagos.
In response, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has begun expanding aprons, while Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MM2) in Lagos plans to introduce a slot system to better manage aircraft movements.
In fact the ramp congestion nightmare has begun disrupting flights.
A businessman, Theophilus Yahaya, who booked a 7am flight for his 9am Abuja appointment shared his experience.
According to him, what was designed to be a brisk trip to Abuja and back to Lagos turned to a traumatising experience.
By 6.45am he had boarded, but a flight that was supposed to take off at exactly 7am, remained on ground for over 20 minutes as the pilot announced that they could not taxi out of the ramp as they were waiting for other aircraft to move. Eventually, the aircraft took off at 7.35 am, which is a 35-minute delay.
Frequent take-off delays, especially during peak periods, are increasingly exposing the capacity problems at Nigeria’s airports. In Lagos and Abuja, limited apron space and inadequate ground-handling facilities are placing additional pressure on airlines, restricting aircraft movements and leaving passengers to bear the brunt through longer waiting times and disrupted travel schedules.
Speaking at the 30th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) earlier this month, Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, raised concerns over the ability of Nigeria’s airport infrastructure to cope with the growing number of airlines and aircraft entering the market.
Okonkwo noted that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is issuing more Air Operator’s Certificates (AOCs), with several others expected to be approved before the end of the year. While he acknowledged that increased competition is healthy for the industry, he questioned whether existing airport infrastructure has the capacity to support the additional aircraft.
He said the industry should focus more on addressing infrastructure gaps and ensuring adequate capacity, arguing that such discussions should take precedence over the ongoing debates about revenue.
He said: “The speed at which AOCs are now being issued is unprecedented. When I obtained my AOC, it took approximately two to three years. Today, some of these certificates are being approved in just six months. The timeline for issuance has compressed dramatically, without corresponding improvements to ground infrastructure. Airlines have more aircraft than the airports can physically accommodate and this is causing increased congestion, longer turnaround times and reduced operational efficiency.”
Abuja, Lagos airports most congested
An airport source speaking to Daily Sun on condition of anonymity said that both Lagos domestic terminals have severe capacity constraints and that aircraft usually cannot depart on time because other aircraft must be pushed back first, while incoming aircraft often circle for over 20 minutes while waiting for landing clearance. The airports which are affected the most are the General Aviation Terminal, Murtala Muhammed Airport (2) in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
“Both domestic terminals in Lagos which are the main hubs and turnaround points for the vast majority of the local industry, are severely capacity constrained, to the point of constituting a major safety hazard to the industry. Apart from the chaos this congestion poses, it results in unnecessary delays as aircraft are frequently forced to wait for other aircraft to be pushed back first, before they can depart or to hold in the air for upwards of 40 minutes before they can land.
“The airport has reached a critical saturation point. We have aircraft circling because there is nowhere to park them, and this happens during peak hours almost every day. The situation is dire.”MM1, GAT and Abuja airports are congested. We do not have sufficient capacity across all three airports for the number of aircraft we operate. The situation is most acute at MM2, where the majority of domestic operations occur. Local flight operations are severely hindered, with both MM2 and GAT facilities unable to accommodate the current fleet requirements effectively. The parking situation has become so constrained that aircraft frequently cannot find available parking spaces during peak hours. This is not an isolated incident but a chronic operational reality that affects dozens of flights daily.
“In Abuja, the situation is bad as well. Aircraft frequently are unable to secure parking spaces. The airport operates with two separate departures, yet there is only one boarding gate. This has created an operational nightmare when multiple airlines need to board simultaneously. In peak periods, three airlines attempt to board from the same gate and this creates chaos.”
The airport source said that baggage handling is another critical bottleneck as the current procedures require manual transfer of luggage, with personnel physically carrying bags from check-in to screening machines, significantly slows passenger processing and extends turnaround times unnecessarily.
MM2 to implement slot system
On how the issue of airport congestion can be mitigated, Bi-Courtey Aviation Services Limited (BASL), the managers of MM2, said in a piece that a significant proportion of airline schedules is concentrated within the early peak period, placing pressure on multiple components of the passenger journey. It said however that the terminal has sufficient available capacity outside this highly concentrated window and it is therefore engaging with airlines to adopt a level two schedule-coordination/slot system to better distribute demand across available capacity.
It said: “Such an approach requires close collaboration between the airport and airlines. The challenge is to ensure that any adjustment to flight schedules takes into consideration the commercial realities of airline operations, including passenger demand and potential revenue implications. Discussions with airlines are ongoing, with the objective of developing workable options that optimize available airport capacity while improving the passenger experience.”
On security screening, BASL said that while it is an important component of the passenger journey, managing passenger flow effectively requires looking at the entire journey rather than focusing on a single point within the terminal.
It revealed that BASL has been engaging with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on the deployment of adequate Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel to effectively man the available screening infrastructure during peak periods and that FAAN has acknowledged the operational challenge and is already working towards solutions.
BASL said it has also identified road traffic and access into the airport environment as another area requiring attention and that engagements have consequently been held with the Police Airport Command, Air Force authorities and other relevant security stakeholders to facilitate smoother movement of traffic into the airport and minimize delays before passengers reach the terminal.
However, the airport source who spoke to Daily Sun said that implementing a slot system may not be viable in a market like Nigeria. “A slot system cannot work effectively locally. When weather prevents two or three aircraft from departing, and new aircraft are arriving simultaneously, what do you do? You cannot move scheduled aircraft simply because a slot system requires it. The system lacks realism for local conditions. The most practical solution for MM2 is the expansion of the apron.”
Way forward
A very reliable source at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) told Daily Sun told Daily Sun that the major challenge facing the airports especially in Lagos and Abuja is the apron space which is inadequate to accommodate all registered aircraft.
The source said: “Our major challenge is apron capacity. Our apron is not adequate enough to accommodate all of the aircraft that are registered. This constraint has been compounded by private jet operators who have been permitted to establish “home base” status. At the General Aviation Terminal, unscheduled private operators, those we call private jet operators, park and abandon their aircraft for days and this contributes to the issues we are having.
“For instance, when a private jet owner registers his or her aircraft with Abuja as its home base, they gain the right to park and conduct maintenance at the facility while paying only landing fees, with parking costs already captured in initial registration costs. While some operators were expected to maintain hangars for their aircraft, many have failed to do so, leaving aircraft parked on the apron indefinitely.
“In some cases, individual operators have been permitted to register multiple aircraft, sometimes up to ten or more and all with home base status. When these aircraft remain idle, they occupy apron space needed for revenue-generating commercial operations. To solve this problem, management has already stopped approving new home base registrations for private jets. They should establish their home bases at other airports. They can still come to Abuja or Lagos to drop passengers and then move their aircraft to their designated base.”
FAAN is taking a firmer approach to compliance, the source said, as joint meetings between FAAN and private operators have been scheduled, with coordination from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), which oversees air traffic control operations. The goal is to encourage voluntary removal of inactive aircraft from the apron. Those that cannot be relocated will be directed to an official aircraft graveyard facility which was established during the recent air show. We are going to be tough on enforcement. We are working with operators to remove inactive aircraft from the apron and relocate them to the aircraft storage facility.”
“The good news is that FAAN has identified areas for apron expansion. Additional apron space is planned at the domestic terminal facility, leveraging available land. An old air station facility has been marked for demolition, with the cleared area to be converted into extended apron space. We have identified this as a huge challenge, and since we are also looking for growth, this is an element of growth,” the source said.
Rather than viewing the increasing capacity as a crisis, FAAN says the influx of new airlines, increased aircraft registrations, is evidence that the sector is doing well.
“More airlines mean that business is good. People are coming into the sector because they see it as profitable. The government provides employment, business opportunities, and economic benefits. The sector is growing rapidly, and it is a good thing. Nobody should be complaining about it, particularly when there are increasing business activities. It means that growth is taking place,” the source said.
