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The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, has said that Nigeria’s airport modernisation must be purposeful, inclusive, and rooted in the realities of its people.
Speaking to delegates at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon, Kuku, who was part of the panel with the theme: “Defining the Airport of the Future: Technology, Partnerships and People,” set out the strategic priorities shaping the country’s airport ecosystem.
Her Chief of Staff, Osas Amadin, in a piece, said Kuku told the Lisbon audience that Nigeria’s passengers come from more than 250 language communities, which poses a distinct challenge for modernisation, therefore, strategies must account for linguistic diversity, uneven levels of digital literacy, accessibility needs, and the different requirements of various passenger groups. Onabanjo-Kuku, she said, stressed that the goal is not simply to deploy advanced technology, but to implement solutions that suit local conditions, are easy to use, and improve the journey for passengers of every age and background.
FAAN continues to push for a closer link between airport-generated revenue and reinvestment in critical infrastructure. Passenger-related charges, Kuku argued, should fund their intended purposes, including aviation security systems, terminal upgrades, airside facilities, and landside transport. The authority sees this as essential to the long-term sustainability of airport operations and capital projects.
“Integrating airports with urban transport networks is another priority as Abuja already has a rail connection that improves access to its airport, and Lagos is planning a modernised rail system with five stops across the Murtala Muhammed International Airport complex. The project is intended to ease movement between terminals, improve access to cargo facilities, and reduce reliance on road transport.
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“Over the past three years, the government has invested heavily in the airside infrastructure of its main international airports. Runways have been resurfaced at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Enugu, and Maiduguri, two runways have been extended, and airfield lighting has been improved. These works support pavement integrity, runway readiness, visibility, and compliance with aviation safety standards,” Kuku said. It was also noted that traffic is heavily concentrated as about 80% of national airport traffic passes through three airports, and Lagos alone accounts for an estimated 68%. FAAN says it must target capacity expansion at these busy hubs while also maintaining infrastructure and service standards at the other 19 airports, alongside the five it directly supports. The authority argues that regional accessibility and economic development depend on a coordinated national strategy.
The comprehensive rehabilitation of Lagos MMIA Terminal 1 is central to the programme. The work involves reconfiguring immigration and customs counters, modernising technology, and upgrading supporting infrastructure to speed up passenger processing and reduce congestion at key points. In her remarks, Mrs Onabanjo-Kuku said Terminal 1, the flagship airport, is being substantially rebuilt, and that the aim is to make it considerably more efficient, not just larger.
The panel agreed that airports cannot apply a single technology model everywhere as effectiveness depends on the operating environment, passenger profile, infrastructure maturity, and the specific problems each airport faces. Mrs Onabanjo-Kuku emphasised that technology must be accessible, intuitive, and responsive to the people it serves, a principle that should guide passenger information systems, self-service tools, digital processing, and other automation.
The authority’s position is that the airport of the future must be technologically advanced without becoming operationally complex or inaccessible. Success will be measured by the reliability, interoperability, and local suitability of systems, and by their contribution to safety, efficiency, and service quality.
