Kenneth Ehigiator
20 August 2007
Lagos — Builders of the new terminal 2 of the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA2), Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, has sought the immediate approval of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to shut down the old domestic terminal of the airport.
Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited built the facility on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis and is expected to manage it for 36 years to enable it recoup its multi-billion Naira investments.
Managing Director of the Company, Alex Van Elk, said the terminal was ready for operation, but was quick to add that unless FAAN gave his company the approval to close down the old terminal, the new facility would not come into full operation.
Van Elk said the company had already written FAAN Managing Director, Alhaji Mohammed Yusufu, on the issue without any response.
He said: " The issue is that we have a contract to be the only operators of the domestic terminal in the state of Lagos. In all of this, as long as the airlines are in the old terminal, legally entitled to get them out of there.
"Officially, according to the contract, the approval we have received is that FAAN should close down the old terminal immediately. We have written to FAAN about this, but we have not received a response on the issue."
For this reason, Van Elk said his management would meet with its FAAN counterpart this week to thrash out the issues, so full operations at the terminal could commence.
He said all the domestic airlines operating in the country have signed on to operate from the terminal, stressing that even Aerocontractors and Arik Air who have their own terminals have shown so much enthusiasm to operate from the terminal.
According to him, "the airlines have also raised some operational issues which we are looking into; we had a meeting with them last Tuesday, so when they come to the terminal is theirs to determine, but at the same time, there's obligation by FAAN to close the old terminal."
Van Elk, who confirmed that his company had an approval to manage the facility for 36 years, said banks, shopping mall operators, amongst other have equally signed on to use the terminal 2 building.
On passenger service charge (PSC), the Bi-Courtney Aviation Services boss said although a minimum of $7 was charged at airports in other parts of the world, the company had bend backwards to charge a marginal $3.50 to $4, against the $2 currently being charged by FAAN at the old terminal building.
He said no airports anywhere in the world could be properly managed and maintained if the PSC is just $2, adding that Bi-Courtney hoped to run quality service at the terminal.
Van Elk said the company would not compromise on the security of passengers and equipment, even though that aspect of the facility is to be handled by FAAN.
He also said, although it was the responsibility of the airports authority to provide fire cover for the airport, Bi-Courtney would play its own role to ensure that no room was created for laxity.
Elk said the company would, on request from passengers, provide refreshing facilities at the terminal building, to the extent that passengers, especially business class passengers, could take a shower to refresh before connecting flights to any destination in the country.
He said Bi-Courtney was well prepared to replicate same facility in other airports across the country, if called upon to do so.
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