Mrs. Olubunmii Kuku, MD, FAAN
From its unassuming beginnings in the late 1970s, Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos has grown into one of Africa’s busiest aviation hubs, a concrete expression of Nigeria’s economic aspirations and its links to the wider world. Commissioned in 1979, the airport opened with three terminals: International Airport Terminal 1, the Pilgrims and Cargo Terminal, and Domestic Terminal 1, each designed to meet the needs of a newly outward-looking nation.
Over the decades, these facilities have been expanded, adapted, and reimagined, leaving the airport today as both a historical marker and a modernised gateway, where the legacy of Nigeria’s aviation past intersects with the future of African air travel.
Due to sustained growth in passenger traffic, the international terminal exceeded its designed operational capacity, necessitating the development and commissioning of International Terminal 2. Over time, International Terminal 2 also exceeded its intended functional capacity, prompting the comprehensive rehabilitation of International Terminal 1. In recent months, travellers arriving at Murtala Muhammed International Terminal 1 have been met by unmistakable evidence that the airport is in the midst of a significant transformation. Scaffolding frames the structure, heavy-duty machinery hums across the site, and widened walkways signal a terminal being reshaped in real time. The activity is more than routine construction; it reflects the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, an ambitious effort to reassert control over and reimagine the country’s busiest aviation gateway. What is unfolding is not a cosmetic upgrade, but a deliberate statement of intent, positioning Nigeria’s premier airport as a symbol of where the nation believes it belongs in the competitive airspace of the 21st century.
On the 31 st of July 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a ₦712.26 billion rehabilitation and modernisation plan, marking one of the most significant single investments in the Nigerian aviation sector in recent history.
Under the agreement awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the same firm that built Terminal Two, Terminal One will essentially be stripped back to its structural core and rebuilt with state-of-the-art mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and passenger systems.
The Terminal One revamp extends well beyond surface-level refurbishment. It encompasses extensive structural reinforcement, the introduction of new glazing and façade elements, and the reconfiguration of interior layouts to improve passenger circulation. Behind the scenes, obsolete HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems are being replaced with modern installations designed to meet contemporary standards for safety, efficiency, and comfort.
Airside operations are also being reworked to create much-needed capacity. An expanded apron, upgraded taxiways, and newly constructed access bridges are expected to ease aircraft movements while allowing passengers to transition more smoothly between terminal buildings and the tarmac.
On the landside, the project confronts long-standing traffic challenges around the airport complex. Dedicated arrival and departure ring roads, modernised parking facilities, and upgraded access points have been introduced to ease vehicular flow, reduce chronic bottlenecks, and bring a measure of order and predictability to journeys in and out of the airport.
For travellers today, the most visible change is the temporary departure terminal, an 8,000-square-metre facility designed to keep operations steady while construction continues in Terminal One. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) reports that the structure is over 90 % complete and will soon be operational, a critical buffer to ensure seamless travel during construction.
The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, has repeatedly assured the public that comfort, accessibility, and safety remain priorities even as construction intensifies.
As with any large-scale infrastructure overhaul, the construction has inevitably altered how passengers move through the airport. Circulation patterns are shifting, familiar access points are being reconfigured, and parking arrangements are changing in step with the build-out. To minimise disruption, travellers are being urged to arrive earlier than usual and adhere closely to advisories issued by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, whose guidance has become essential to navigating a terminal in transition.
With a price tag of ₦712 billion, the upgrade of Murtala Muhammed International Airport ranks among the most ambitious and costly infrastructure projects in the history of Nigerian aviation. Government officials describe the spending not as excess, but as a strategy.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has framed the project as a long-overdue investment in credibility, one aimed at sharpening Nigeria’s aviation image, strengthening safety standards, and repositioning Lagos as a competitive hub capable of drawing global airlines, passengers, and capital back into its airspace.
It is also part of a broader ₦900 billion aviation infrastructure plan that includes runway upgrades, perimeter security improvements, and enhancements at airports across the country.
Reactions from the public have been varied. While many see the long-overdue project as a necessary leap toward world-class airport standards, some critics have raised concerns about cost transparency and prioritisation, questioning whether such large investments deliver proportional economic benefits.
Still, for passengers and airline operators alike, the consensus is that the MMIA transformation is overdue and essentially a critical step toward aligning Nigeria’s aviation hub with global expectations.
There are expectations that as the year 2026 unfolds, the airport will gradually shift into a new operational rhythm. Temporary facilities will take centre stage, heavy construction equipment will become a familiar backdrop, and the airport’s familiar corridors will be redrawn into modern spaces designed for millions more passengers.
For the tens of thousands who pass through MMIA every week, the disruption is but a prelude to what many hope will be a better gateway to Africa and the world, a gateway reborn from decades of underinvestment into a symbol of ambition, connectivity, and possibility.
