09/24/2024
The Massive Improvements in Lagos Airport is Commendable: Arriving at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos was always a dread, until recently. The immigration service's passport examination process is less frightening, as well as the customs. In the past, you would be subjected to extortion and harassment for money. Although not totally eliminated, you can see professional behavior among all the officers. It's up to you to give tips, not forcefully demanded by the staffs as before.
The baggage claim area is also less cumbersome. In fact, as a Delta "Sky Priority" flyer, you can absolutely step away from the crowd because the MMA truly gives you baggage claim priority - your bags sorted and separated from the nonpriority baggages for your comfort.
If you have recently traveled to Lagos through the MMA, you'd have noticed that the toilets are working. Lol 😁 😁 😁 You even get personal service as a janitorial staff hands out to you plies of toilet paper to use.
How about the new terminal? It's the hidden gem of the MMA. Traveling out, it's likely you will enter the departure hall from the old terminal but end up in the new depending on your airline. My flight to Amsterdam by KLM meant brisquely walking to the new terminal. My wife and I couldn't hide our very pleasant surprise.
There were a few duty shops along the way, top quality wines and African crafts and clothes. You feel transported to the Paris or Amsterdam airports by their layout, except for the miniscule size compared to the gigantic real estate spaces of the European airport shops.
With a few hours to burn, we took our door passes to the KLM/Air France Lounge. Boy, the food items were evidently much more tastier than the airline lounges in American airports. More than 50% of guests at the lounge were White Europeans or Americans. Charging points for handsets and laptops were all over the moderate-sized hall. On a lighter note, all the servers were of the same height and build. We guessed that it must be a criteria for hiring.
All said, we concluded that if the development trajectory of the airport is not aborted due to lack of continuity by political leaders, it will to get even better in the next few years. On that note, I grade the airport a C+.
