The historic resolution of the two-decade-long legal and administrative impasse between the Federal Government and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) has ushered in a transformative era for Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2).
For nearly twenty years, growth, long-term infrastructure scaling, and the full commercial optimisation of one of West Africa’s premier terminal facilities were heavily constrained by protracted litigation. With the landmark settlement finally putting these legacy disputes to rest, the stakeholder framework has shifted from courtroom defense to collaborative aviation development.
MMA2, owned by Wale Babalakin, lawyer and businessman recently signaled plans to launch regional flight services following a 20-year legal resolution with the Federal Government.
At the center of this new operational chapter is a strategic push to diversify MMA2’s service portfolio beyond domestic processing by introducing regional flight operations. Designed to handle an annual capacity of up to four million passengers, MMA2 possesses the modern infrastructure, automated processing backbone, and passenger-centric amenities required to bridge domestic and international West African travel.
However, scaling up from a purely domestic model to accommodating multi-jurisdictional regional traffic introduces an entirely new layer of stress testing – affecting immigration bottlenecks, customs integration, aircraft turnaround times, security protocols, and lounge-to-gate passenger flow.
Samuel Caulcrick, former Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), explains that moving from a purely domestic model into a dual-tier hub is fueled by the pursuit of hard-currency revenues.
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“The heart of the operational and structural dilemmas that MMA2 will face will be enormous. However, the financial motivation for BASL to capture regional flights is massive,” Caulcrick notes.
“The domestic PSC currently stands at N2,000 per passenger, which, given the devaluation of the naira, provides very little dollar-equivalent return for terminal maintenance and capital investments. On the other hand, the Regional and International PSC is priced at $80 per passenger, a massive, dollar-denominated revenue goldmine.”
Caulcrick emphasizes that capturing even a fraction of the West African regional market allows BASL to tap into dollar-denominated revenue streams necessary to recoup its original Public-Private Partnership (PPP) investments.
While the MMA2 move promises expanded choice for travellers and much-needed decongestion at Lagos’ primary international airport, industry experts caution that critical infrastructure deficits, security mandates, and terminal design constraints could turn an ambitious expansion into a operational bottleneck.
The push comes amid significant growth in the sector. Nigeria’s aviation market recorded 18.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2025, an 11.9 percent year-on-year surge according to Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) data, solidifying Nigeria’s position as Africa’s fourth-largest aviation hub.
Beyond passenger convenience, industry insiders highlight a key economic driver behind BASL’s push into regional territory: the stark gap in Passenger Service Charge (PSC) revenues.
John Ojikutu, aviation security expert and CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, agrees that regional flights offer a lucrative financial lifeline.
He projects that expanding into regional operations could yield substantial gains: “The advantage of regional flights to BASL’s MMA2 is an increase in its Passenger Services Charge revenues from about 200,000 average passengers annually, or $20 million (N26 billion) at an average of $100 per passenger.”
Despite the financial appeal, experts warn that MMA2 is already operating near capacity during peak hours, and adding regional flights could aggravate bottlenecks across both landside and airside facilities.
Seyi Adewale, Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, observes that the terminal is already experiencing severe operational strain.
“My observation of MMA2 operations is that it is gradually becoming congested, with maximum concentration points at specific times of the day. The congestion includes vehicular throughput, passenger access and facilitation, and aircraft taxiing or parking on the tarmac. There are further demands on handling and cargo companies that support ground services and aircraft space utilization from a commercial perspective.”
“In short, traffic management, passenger management, tarmac space management, and the capacity of handling companies to manage complex demands during peak periodscombined with increasing airline preference and now regional flights, may lead to its albatross if not well programmed, managed, articulated, or expanded,” Adewale warns.
Caulcrick points out that terminal layout requirements pose a major compliance hurdle under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, “The structural challenge will be the Capacity and Concourse Dilemma: mingling domestic and international/regional passengers in the same concourse is a strict red line for global aviation regulatory bodies, including ICAO.”
Furthermore, John Ojikutu stresses that security protocols must undergo a complete overhaul before a single regional flight takes off:
“If MMA2 must open for regional/international air and passenger traffic, the terminal security defense layers need to be reviewed and upgraded for the approval of the NCAA, and may need to be inspected or audited by ICAO. However, MMA2 was built and approved at first instance to handle regional traffic, but the long period of troubled relationships between political officeholders in government and BASL management created dysfunctions in the approved standards built into the terminal at its inception.”
Ojikutu also noted the broader political landscape surrounding the move: “The problem created by the reconstruction of the MMIA Terminal is a major reason for those in government administration to pipe down for Bi-Courtney. I hope it is not a way to distract Bi-Courtney away from bidding for the concession of the new MMIA Terminal whenever it is completed.”
Currently, domestic carriers are expanding their West African networks. Air Peace leads the Nigerian market with regional flights connecting Lagos to Accra, Freetown, Monrovia, Abidjan, Dakar, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Bamako, and Conakry.
Ibom Air operates connections to Accra, while United Nigeria Airlines recently launched its inaugural flight to Accra using a Bombardier CRJ 900, with plans to deploy 50-seater Embraer E145 aircraft. ValueJet is also building out regional connectivity options.
However, Nigerian carriers face stiff competition from foreign regional giants:
Based in Accra, Africa World Airlines (AWA), operates double-daily frequencies to Lagos and Abuja with plans to expand to three daily flights.
ASKY Airlines which is based in Lomé, Togo, leverages its international hub to seamlessly connect passengers across West and Central Africa.
Major international operators such as Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, Kenya Airways, South African Airways, EgyptAir, and Royal Air Maroc continue to draw significant regional traffic through their respective foreign hubs.
Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.
