Re: Recession: Concessionaires flee MMA2

THE attention of the management of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) under a concession agreement, has been drawn to a story published in the Daily Times of December 28, 2016, page B8, with the headline, ‘Recession: Concessionaires flee MMA2’.

The motive for writing such a report, at this time when the nation’s economy is clearly in recession with the attendant challenges, remains largely unknown as the writer even made no attempt to obtain an official clarification from BASL management.

Suffice it to say that the impact of the current recession has been evident in the closure of businesses in practically all sectors of the economy including the aviation industry. In spite of this, the fact remains that the management of BASL has been able to carve a niche for itself by consistently maintaining best practices, both in terms of passenger facilitation and provision of all necessary support to keep businesses in the terminal open.

It is our judgement that the writer chose to be unduly sensational by presenting to the reading public such a misleading report which adds no value in the present realities of the country. For example, in the second paragraph, the writer states that “his investigations revealed that no fewer than eight concessionaires have closed business in the last few months”.

Unfortunately, this report does not in any way reflect the true position of things, as he did not indicate for balance, how many new businesses have opened in the terminal during the same period. In any case, new businesses will always come and go, but renovation and improvement remains a constant commitment to us at MMA2.

In fact, we make bold to reaffirm the commitment of management of the MMA2 terminal towards continuously making the terminal a destination of choice and assisting our vendors to mitigate the impact of the recession in various ways in order for the flying public to have a variety of choices and a pleasant experience while passing through the terminal.

It should also be noted that the available spaces for businesses at the MMA2 terminal continue to be in high demand from various customers due to the strategic location advantage. This is why more than 85 per cent of the available space is presently occupied. Businesses currently operating at the terminal include a shopping mall and many top brands in various sectors such as financial institutions, retailers, and food vendors.

In addition, BASL is presently working with a multinational company to provide a new experience in the Food Court which will be unveiled early in 2017. The plan is part of the efforts of the management to revamp the entire Food Court axis of the Terminal to make it more appealing and comfortable for our esteemed guests.

We therefore advise members of the public to disregard the said report as it is in no way a true reflection of the good work and progress being made at mma2 even in the face of the current economic realities in the country.

Ayotunde Osowe

Corporate Communications