FAAN General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu, made this known in a statement titled, ‘FAAN to expand GAT, Lagos’.

The airports’ authority said the expansion of the terminal at the local wing of the Lagos airport is part of efforts to improve infrastructure and service delivery in the aviation sector.

The statement read in part, “The expansion project, which will commence any moment from now, will only hamper passenger facilitation minimally at the terminal, as normal passenger check-in will not be affected in any way. However, the Protocol and VIP lounge at the terminal will be affected, as the facilities will be relocated temporarily till the end of the project, since major construction works will be carried out in that axis of the terminal. Meanwhile, the Authority is already making arrangements for temporary spaces to be used as Protocol and VIP lounges, while the project is being executed. When the expansion project is completed, the terminal would have been enhanced in terms of capacity, aesthetics and passenger comfort, as the expected and expanded new lounges will be twice what is presently on ground.”

The Authority appealed to passengers and other airport users to be patient and bear any inconvenience while the project would last.

The Lagos airport facilitates more than half of the about 12 million domestic passengers processed at local airports across the country, a situation that had made experts call on the airports’ authority to expand terminals at the airport.

There have been allegations that some of the airport officials demand bribe from the returnees for COVID-19 clearance. There have also been allegations that the officials collect bribe to help the returnees evade the mandatory COVID-19 test and isolation.

The Presidential Taskforce for COVID-19 had earlier announced that it has become mandatory for every returnee to undergo a compulsory COVID-19 test and go into 14-day isolation to ensure they do not have the novel virus and also to prevent the spread of the novel virus.

In a statement released on Sunday, August 16 by its General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN said an investigation into the allegation has commenced.

The statement read in part ”The recent allegation that some airport officials in Abuja were collecting money from returning passengers on evacuation flights is already being investigated by all agencies at the airport.”

Closure of the airport reportedly prevented flights from landing and taking off from the airport on Saturday, January 4.

FAAN’s Corporate Affairs General Manager, Henrietta Yakubu said the temporary closure of the runway as part of safety precautions.

She said; “A joint team from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency is presently evaluating the situation. This is with a view to ensuring that the airside is cleared of smoke and restoration of normalcy at the airport.”

The General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, gave the assurance in a statement issued in Lagos on Monday, saying that in preparation for the season and beyond, FAAN had beefed up security at all airports, especially the major international gateways in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano.

The statement reads: “We are intensifying our efforts at improving facilities and infrastructure to ensure maximum comfort for all airport users.

“At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Port Harcourt International Airport, the recently commissioned brand new terminals are fully ready to play host to our esteemed passengers in safe, secure and very comfortable ambiences.

“At our premier airport, the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the VIP lounge has been renovated to enhance passengers’ comfort.

“The carousels are working optimally, amidst other facilities’ upgrade currently ongoing

“The stories were similar in all other airports, as the Authority had put in place facilities, procedures and systems to ensure maximum comfort, safety and security of airport users during the season and beyond.

“FAAN will like to use this opportunity to appeal to passengers to please get to the airports early to conclude all check-in procedures in good time, so as to avoid the experience of missing their flights.

“This is important because of the heavy passenger traffic that is usually the experience around this time and also due to ongoing construction works around the Lagos and Abuja Airports.”

Yakubu added that FAAN would continue to deliver on its core values of safety, security and comfort.