Passengers faced travel disruptions at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, Nigeria, due to baggage belt failures. These issues led to delays and cancellations of international flights to various destinations, such as Cairo, Doha, London, and more.
The chaos unfolded when foreign airlines were abruptly moved from the old international terminal to a new one, a facility that had remained largely unused until then. This move was prompted by the directive of the new Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to relocate airlines to the new terminal by October 1, 2023. However, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) forcefully executed this relocation earlier than expected.
Compounding the problem, a fire incident occurred at the baggage hall of MMIA on the same day as the relocation, leading to the evacuation of passengers and personnel. Although they were eventually allowed back into the terminal, further confusion ensued when FAAN officials ordered airlines to relocate to the new terminal again at around 8 pm. Initially, airline personnel resisted this move, and FAAN responded by shutting down the check-in system.
Ultimately, airlines complied with the relocation order at approximately 9 pm, but issues like congestion, frequent baggage belt malfunctions, logistics challenges, and other teething problems persisted, causing pandemonium.
The disruptions led to significant delays, with flights by British Airways, Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, and others originally scheduled for departure between 10 pm and 11 pm on Wednesday eventually taking off around 4 am on Thursday. Passengers and airline staff described this experience as “hellish.”
Egypt also experienced delays of about four hours. Some passengers missed their connecting flights in cities like London, Cairo, Doha, Amsterdam, and Paris. Kenya Airways had to cancel flights due to crew rest period exceedances, and stranded passengers were accommodated in a Lagos hotel.
FAAN’s Director of Media, Mr. Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, attributed the sudden relocation to the airport fire and related power supply issues, affirming that FAAN was actively addressing the situation. Nevertheless, passengers and airline representatives urged the Federal Government to adopt a holistic approach to resolve these problems.
Key concerns include the limited capacity of the new terminal to handle the influx of passengers and the frequent breakdown of baggage belts. While the minister had initially set a deadline of October 1 for the relocation, FAAN decided to execute it on September 6, leading to additional challenges. United Airlines and Delta also faced significant delays during these disruptions.
FAAN later issued a statement explaining the expedited relocation, citing the unfortunate fire incident as the reason. They emphasised their commitment to making the transition as smooth as possible and urged travellers to arrive at the airport early to complete check-in procedures without missing their flights.
