Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, and is the major airport serving southwestern Nigeria. It was named after former Nigerian president Murtala Ramat Mohammed. The international terminal was designed after Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Its IATA airport code is LOS, its ICAO airport code is DNMM.

Murtala Mohammed International Airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal, located about 1km from each other. Both terminals share the same runways. The domestic terminal was relocated to the old Lagos domestic terminal in 2000 after a fire. A new domestic terminal is currently under construction.

History and Reputation

During the late 1980s and 1990s, the international terminal had a reputation as a dangerous airport. From 1992 through 2000, the US Federal Aviation Administration posted warning signs in all US international airports advising travelers that security conditions at LOS did not meet ICAO minimum standards. In 1993 the FAA suspended air service between Lagos and the United States. During this period, security at LOS continued to be a serious problem. Travelers arriving in Lagos were harassed both inside and outside of the airport terminal by criminals. Airport staff contributed to its reputation. Immigration officers required bribes before stamping passports, while customs agents demanded payment for nonexistent fees. In addition, several jet airplanes were attacked by criminals who stopped planes taxiing to and from the terminal and robbed their cargo holds. Many travel guides suggested that Nigeria-bound travelers fly into Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and take domestic flights or ground transportation into Lagos.

Following Olusegun Obasanjo's democratic election in 1998, the security situation at LOS began to improve. Airport police instituted a shoot on sight policy for anyone found in the secure areas around runways and taxiways, stopping further airplane robberies. Police secured the inside of the terminal and the arrival areas outside. The FAA ended its suspension of direct flights to Nigeria 2001 in recognition of these security improvements. Security on domestic flights is still greatly lacking. X-ray machines for carry-on baggage are often unplugged, and security screeners pay little attention to passengers.

Recent years have seen substantial improvements at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Malfunctioning and non-operational infrastructure such as air conditioning and luggage belts have been repaired. The entire airport has been cleaned, and many new restaurants and duty-free stores have opened.

England's Channel 4 television network filmed a reality television series based at the international terminal. The six thirty-minute episodes aired in November and December 1999 and showed the lives of those who lived and worked at the airport.

International and Regional Airlines

• Air France
• Air Gabon
• Air India
• Alitalia
• British Airways
• Cameroon Airlines
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Egypt Air
• Ghana Airways
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• Swiss International Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Virgin Nigeria

Domestic Airlines

• ADC Airlines
• Aerocontractors Company of Nigeria
• Albarka Airlines
• Bellview Airlines
• Chanchangi Airlines
• IRS Airlines
• Sosoliso Airlines
• Virgin Nigeria

External links

• Nigerian Airspace Management Agency