Nigeria’s Hub Ambition for regional aviation dominance is once again in focus. For decades, the country’s geography has positioned it as a natural aviation crossroads between West, Central, Southern and North Africa. Yet despite this strategic location along major intercontinental routes, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) has yet to evolve into a fully functional regional hub.
Instead, the airport mainly handles passengers beginning or ending their journeys in Nigeria. This pattern highlights the gap between Nigeria’s aviation potential and its operational reality.
According to FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku, the current airport rehabilitation programme aims to correct those structural weaknesses and advance Nigeria’s long-discussed hub ambition while outlining a bold strategy to transform Lagos airport into a major African transit centre. She explained FAAN’s robust plans during an interview with CNBC Africa while speaking on sundry issues.
Nigeria’s Missed Aviation Hub Opportunity
Across Africa, several airports have successfully built strong aviation hubs through deliberate infrastructure planning and airline partnerships.
Airports such as Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, O. R. Tambo International Airport and Cairo International Airport have evolved into major transit gateways linking Africa with Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
These airports benefit from seamless passenger transfers, efficient transit facilities and strong national carriers that connect multiple destinations.
Kuku explained that the success of these airports lies in their strategic focus on transit traffic.
“They’ve not just made their airports a destination for passengers who are coming into their country,” she said. “They’ve made it a hub.”
She emphasised that the concept of a hub goes beyond simple passenger arrivals.
“A hub is literally an environment where transit passengers move from one location to another without necessarily making that country their end destination,” she added.
However, Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem has historically lacked the infrastructure required to support this model.
Weak Passenger Traffic Slows Hub Ambition
Nigeria’s aviation sector also faces a structural challenge linked to passenger demand. Despite having Africa’s largest population and one of the continent’s biggest economies, air travel penetration remains relatively low, posing a barrier to Nigeria’s hub ambitions.
“When you look at the GDP of the Nigerian population and compare it with passenger traffic, it is actually very low,” Kuku said.
“It is less than two percent, which means many Nigerians are not travelling compared with other regions.”
Low travel demand weakens the domestic passenger base that typically feeds international hub airports. Successful aviation hubs rely heavily on domestic and regional travellers who connect to long-haul flights. Without this feeder traffic, airlines find it difficult to build large connecting networks.
Kuku therefore noted that economic activity plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s hub ambition.
“For us to drive passenger traffic effectively, you need to improve the business environment,” she said. “Whether it is tourism, trade or business activity that brings people into the country.”
Transit Infrastructure Gap at Lagos Airport
One of the most significant obstacles to Nigeria’s hub ambition is the absence of dedicated transit facilities at MMIA. Passengers connecting through Lagos currently face processes designed primarily for arriving travellers rather than transit passengers.
“Today, within the Nigerian airport, it is quite difficult for you to transit because there is no transit facility,” Kuku acknowledged.
For airlines considering Lagos as a connecting hub, this limitation is critical. Transit passengers typically require seamless movement between arrival and departure gates without passing through full immigration procedures. Without such infrastructure, airlines prefer established hubs elsewhere, which challenges Nigeria’s hub ambitions.
FAAN’s ongoing airport rehabilitation programme therefore prioritises transit infrastructure improvements.
“This is actually one of the things we are addressing as part of the rehabilitation work,” Kuku explained.
Designing Airports Around Passenger Experience
The airport upgrade is expected to run for between 22 and 24 months. However, Kuku says the project is not simply about expanding buildings.
Instead, the strategy focuses on redesigning the airport experience around passenger movement. “You basically design an airport from the inside in,” Kuku said. “The first thing you consider is the passenger experience.”
“What we did was to look at the entire passenger journey from when you’re approaching the airport environment. So, whether it’s tools, the passenger drop-off or curbside, and then when you come in. Over the last few months, we’ve actually redesigned some of our airport operations. That has been incorporated into the new design, which allows improved passenger flow. Passengers are now potentially able to check in using certain touchpoints,” she added.
Kuku explained that technology is a key part of this redesign. “It’s not just the infrastructure. We’re leveraging technology to improve touchpoints, including e-gates and biometrics. Right now, biometrics and e-gates are being used on entry. We’ve also incorporated biometrics on exit, which is included in the new design. All of these elements are being considered heavily.”
She highlighted the transit facility as a major gamechanger for Nigeria’s Hub Ambition. “I think the big win for us will also be the transit facility that is being built and incorporated into this new design,” Kuku said.
“At the end of the day, the airport experience is about how the passenger feels from the beginning to the end point,” she concluded, emphasising that these innovations are central to MMIA’s hub ambitions and its transformation into a regional gateway.
Temporary Terminal Supports Ongoing Construction
Meanwhile, FAAN has introduced a temporary terminal to maintain operations while rehabilitation continues at the international terminal.
“As of November, we activated the temporary terminal,” Kuku said. FAAN’s new temporary terminal supports hub ambitions.
The facility now accommodates several international airlines, including Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines.
The temporary terminal was constructed within three months to minimise disruption to international travel.
In addition, FAAN has improved access routes to the airport to ease congestion around the complex.
“There is also a bridge that has been built because part of the rehabilitation work is improving entry and exit from the airport,” Kuku added.
Fire Incident Causes Minor Operational Disruption
The rehabilitation programme recently faced a brief disruption following a fire incident at the Lagos airport.
The fire affected some technology infrastructure being transferred between terminals.
However, FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku said the impact on operations remained limited.
“Yes, we did have a fire incident last week Monday,” she confirmed. “But the impact was minimal.”
Airport operations temporarily reverted to manual processing while systems were restored.
“We had manual operations and manual check-in for about four or five days,” she said. “We have now restored operations back to normal.”
Importantly, the incident has not altered the overall rehabilitation timeline. “The 22 to 24 months timeline still stands,” Kuku confirmed.
Airlines and Route Expansion Drive Hub Ambition
Infrastructure alone cannot achieve Nigeria’s hub Ambition. Airline connectivity also plays a crucial role in building a successful hub.
Hub airports rely on strong airline networks capable of linking multiple destinations through a central gateway.
Kuku explained that bilateral air service agreements remain a key tool in advancing Nigeria’s aviation hub ambitions and expanding its international connections.. “We look at the bilateral air service agreements that we have with other countries,” she said.
According to her, recent aviation policy reforms have improved airline access to Nigeria.
“In the last three years, the Honourable Minister has improved the number of routes in terms of airlines going outside the country and coming into the Nigerian market,” she said.
These developments are expected to strengthen Lagos’ connectivity across Africa and beyond.
Cargo Hub Opportunity for Nigeria
In addition to passenger traffic, FAAN also sees cargo operations as a critical part of Nigeria’s *hub ambition.
Air cargo logistics plays an increasingly important role in global trade, particularly for agricultural exports and high-value goods.
“When we look at the hub strategy, we see the future in two things,” Kuku said. “Passenger and cargo.” Nigeria’s large agricultural sector offers significant potential for export cargo if logistics infrastructure improves.
Experts say a strong cargo hub could also attract logistics companies and international freight operators.
According to the International Air Transport Association, cargo connectivity remains a key factor in building competitive aviation hubs globally.
More details on global aviation standards can be found on the International Civil Aviation Organization website.
The Long Road to Achieving Hub Status
Despite Nigeria’s aviation advantages, the road to achieving true hub status remains complex. The country must upgrade infrastructure, improve passenger processing, expand airline networks and stimulate travel demand.
Industry experts also emphasise the need for stronger coordination between airlines, regulators and airport authorities.
For FAAN, however, the transformation of Lagos airport represents the starting point of Nigeria’s aviation renaissance.
If the current reforms succeed, Nigeria’s hub ambition could finally shift from aspiration to reality. Until then, Lagos airport remains a busy gateway still striving to become the regional aviation hub many believe it should already be.
