Cranes now dominate the skyline of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport as the ongoing MMIA redevelopment reshapes passenger routes, access points and the routines that have defined international travel through Lagos for decades.
Inside the airport complex, construction is changing far more than what passengers see. Terminal buildings are being rebuilt and expanded, roads and bridges are being reconfigured, aircraft handling areas are being enlarged, and new connections are emerging between facilities that have long operated as separate parts of the airport.
This is the physical face of the MMIA redevelopment, a project intended not merely to refurbish an ageing airport, but to fundamentally change how the gateway works for passengers, airlines and aircraft.
Across the airport complex since work started in December after the FEC’s August approval, construction activity is gradually reshaping how passengers enter, move through and leave the facility. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), working with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), is undertaking a broad redevelopment that goes beyond repainting walls or replacing ageing fittings.
The work involves reconstructing Terminal 1, expanding Terminal 2, developing a transfer facility, creating new road and bridge connections, redesigning passenger movement and eventually opening up additional aircraft parking and handling space.
Some of those changes are already visible.
Others are taking shape behind construction barriers and temporary facilities. Together, however, they point towards a different MMIA, one designed to handle passengers, aircraft and traffic more efficiently than the airport has been able to do for years. Short Video showing some works ongoing
For FAAN Managing Director, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, the starting point is not simply the appearance of the terminals. It is how the airport works.
“If you’re coming through Terminal 2 today, you’re actually coming in at the lower level,” Kuku explained in an interview recently. “You’re taking escalators with all of your luggage upstairs.”
That arrangement, she said, contributes to the congestion passengers experience within the terminal.
The redevelopment is therefore introducing new access arrangements intended to change the way passengers enter and leave the airport.
Kuku said the new access arrangements would create more space for passengers and improve traffic flow within the airport.
The objective is to allow passengers to access the facility at a more appropriate level while reducing pressure on existing infrastructure.
“You’re also able to come in at the same level, so we’re putting less pressure on all of the equipment and infrastructure that we have,” Kuku added.
That explanation provides a useful window into what the MMIA redevelopment project is attempting to achieve.
It is not simply a collection of unrelated construction projects. The different works are designed to connect with one another, from the terminal buildings and aircraft apron to roads, bridges, parking facilities and passenger circulation.
Rebuilding Terminal 1
At the heart of the transformation is Terminal 1, the airport’s original 40 year plus international terminal.
The rehabilitation is extensive.
The work includes a new exterior façade, interior reconstruction, replacement of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, modern entrance canopies and structural strengthening.
The objective is to bring the ageing terminal’s physical systems up to contemporary engineering, operational and safety expectations while giving passengers a substantially different environment.
The reconstruction of Terminal 1 has also required FAAN to maintain international operations while work continues.
That is where the temporary departure terminal becomes important.
Rather than shutting down international departures entirely while Terminal 1 is reconstructed, FAAN developed and is currently using a temporary facility capable of supporting passenger processing during the transition.
The temporary departure terminal includes check-in facilities, security and immigration screening, baggage handling, passenger waiting areas and boarding gates.
It also provides supporting services such as lounges, retail and food outlets, medical assistance and facilities for passengers with reduced mobility.
The temporary facility covers approximately 8,000 square metres and was designed to handle up to 1,500 passengers during peak periods, with three boarding gates.
For passengers, the facility represents a temporary inconvenience within a much larger MMIA Redevelopment programme.
For the project itself, however, it is an important piece of the strategy.
The temporary terminal allows the permanent Terminal 1 to undergo extensive reconstruction without bringing international passenger operations to a halt.
And its future has already been determined.
Once Terminal 1 is completed and normal operations resume, the temporary terminal is expected to be dismantled.
Its removal will then release valuable space for another major part of the MMIA Redevelopment.
Terminal 2 gets Bigger
The transformation of Terminal 2 may ultimately be one of the most consequential changes for international passengers.
Kuku explained that the existing size and configuration of Terminal 2 were influenced by an earlier dispute involving the terminal’s location and a concessionaire.
“I know a number of people have asked to see what exactly is wrong with Terminal 2. When Terminal 2 was initially built, there was a litigation with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria and a concessionaire around the existing location.
That limitation has had operational consequences.
“As such, the dimensions and the sizing of where T2 was built had to be reduced to accommodate the area that was available. We thank the federal government because we’ve now taken a look at the overall master plan. We’ve seen that there are some hangars who are actually obstructing the area.
We’re able to relocate those hangars. That way, we can actually extend the finger in T2. Terminal 2 will now be able to accommodate an additional 15,000 square metres.
The significance of that number is not merely the additional floor space.
It is what FAAN intends to do with it.
Kuku explained that Terminal 2 currently has limitations when handling wide-body aircraft.
“So for those of you who fly the likes of British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, you realise that you’re landing in Terminal 2 today, but we’re still moving you over. We’re checking in from Terminal 2, but we’re still asking you to go through the finger in T1. That will stop this reconstruction because we can actually use T2 as a fully functional facility where we can take more wide-body aircraft and you can actually go through the finger.”
The MMIA Redevelopment is intended to change that arrangement.
With additional space, an extended finger and improved aircraft-handling infrastructure, Terminal 2 will be positioned to operate as a more complete international facility.
The Missing Piece: A Transfer Hub
Beyond the visible infrastructure, the MMIA redevelopment includes a proposed transfer hub designed to support transit passengers.
The redevelopment also includes a transfer hub designed to strengthen the connection between the airport’s terminal facilities and support the movement of connecting passengers.
The facility will receive an improved façade and interior, alongside modern mechanical and electrical systems that will integrate with the wider airport infrastructure. Its importance, however, goes beyond the physical upgrade.
Kuku said Nigeria currently lacks a proper transit system within federal airports, limiting the country’s ability to grow connecting passenger traffic.
“Today, there is little transit activity that happens within the Nigerian airport,” Kuku said. “If we’re talking about improving our passenger traffic, it has to be done through transit passengers. How do we do that without the right infrastructure?”
The transfer hub is therefore being developed alongside the Terminal 1 reconstruction and Terminal 2 expansion as part of a broader effort to create a more connected MMIA.
Making Room for More Aircraft
The Terminal 2 expansion is closely linked to another major component of the MMIA Redevelopment: the expansion of the aircraft apron and associated boarding bridge areas.
The airport needs more usable aircraft parking and boarding capacity if Lagos is to handle increasing international traffic efficiently.
The planned apron expansion, however, requires existing infrastructure occupying the available space to be removed.
That includes the existing hangar beside the apron and, eventually, the temporary international departure terminal.
The latter point is particularly significant because the temporary terminal’s eventual removal has always been part of the wider MMIA Redevelopment plan.
A New Connection Across the Airport
Another visible intervention is the new Terminal 2-to-car-park Skywalk.
The elevated pedestrian connection links the international terminal with the airport’s main car park and provides passengers with a direct route between the two facilities.
The MMIA redevelopment also includes this Skywalk as part of improving passenger flow and safety. Also, the roads are part of the terminal.
The MMIA redevelopment therefore includes new departure and arrival roads, additional bridges, elevated access routes and improved internal road connections.
Reimagining the Airport’s Front Door
This upgrade also extends to the Central Square, improving landscaping and passenger arrival experience. According to Kuku, the changes are necessary for practical and aesthetic purposes.
“So I’m really excited to see more of a prominent area, more green spaces around our airport environment, and of course, the entry and exit within the airport area are much more improved.”
The scale of the MMIA redevelopment becomes clearer when considered against the age of MMIA.
The Money Comes into Focus
The scale of the transformation becomes clearer when the wider aviation investment is considered. In August 2025, the Federal Executive Council approved ₦919.11 billion, with about ₦712.24 billion allocated to the MMIA redevelopment.
But the programme goes beyond terminals. It also targets runways, taxiways, lighting, security and airside infrastructure across key airports.
At MMIA, ₦49.90 billion is set aside for a 14.6km security fence, operational road, CCTV and solar lighting, while ₦44.13 billion will upgrade Runway 18L/36R and Taxiways B and C to Category II LED lighting. A further ₦24.27 billion covers apron reconstruction at the domestic wing.
Elsewhere, ₦46.39 billion is allocated to runway and taxiway rehabilitation at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, and ₦42.15 billion to similar works and lighting upgrades at Port Harcourt.
Together, these five projects account for about ₦206.85 billion, showing that the investment is not limited to terminals, but also the runways, taxiways and systems that keep airports running safely.
MMIA Redevelopment: What it is supposed to achieve
The MMIA redevelopment ultimately aims to create a fully integrated, modern international airport system.
For now, passengers are seeing an airport in transition, with construction, temporary facilities and changing routes forming part of the redevelopment. But over the next 18 to 22 months, air travellers and aviation stakeholders should begin to see a clearer picture of the vision FAAN is pursuing, a more integrated MMIA with greater capacity, smoother passenger movement and infrastructure designed for the demands of modern international aviation.
