FG Plans Red Line Extension To Lagos Airport Terminals
The Federal Government has announced plans to extend the Lagos Red Line rail corridor to the major terminals of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, as part of a broader intervention to upgrade aviation infrastructure across the country.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while speaking at the 67th anniversary of Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s oldest aviation company.
Keyamo said the proposed light rail project would originate from Ikeja Bus Stop and run through the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), MMA2 and the Air Force Base before connecting to the new international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
According to him, the rail link is designed to provide passengers with direct and convenient access to the airport terminals through an air-conditioned, first-class train service.
The project forms part of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Initiative for the aviation sector, with nearly N1 trillion earmarked for airport infrastructure development through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund.
Keyamo said the Federal Government had already committed N712 billion to the rehabilitation and upgrading of ageing airport infrastructure nationwide.
He cited the ongoing construction of the second runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as one of the major projects, noting that the project is expected to cost about N400 billion. He also listed the rehabilitation and resurfacing of the Akure Airport runway among other ongoing interventions.
The minister said the administration had also introduced policies aimed at strengthening local airlines, improving access to aircraft financing and encouraging the establishment of airlines by sub-national governments.
He attributed the increased capacity to invest in aviation infrastructure to the Federal Government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies, arguing that resources previously committed to subsidies could now be channelled into infrastructure and economic development.
According to Keyamo, the government has been able to mobilise significant funding for major aviation projects without relying on additional borrowing.
He recalled that the construction of some major airport terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and other locations had previously been financed through loans, saying the current administration was pursuing a different funding approach.
The minister also used the occasion to highlight the long delay in constructing Abuja Airport’s second runway, saying the cost had risen substantially because the project was postponed for many years.
Keyamo said the project, which was initially estimated at about N45 billion, would now cost hundreds of billions of naira, describing the development as an example of the consequences of delaying critical infrastructure.
He said the planned airport rail connection in Lagos was part of the administration’s broader strategy to improve passenger experience and modernise the country’s aviation infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, urged the Federal Government to ensure that its aviation interventions directly address the challenges confronting local airlines.
Sanusi also called for greater recognition and support for Nigerian airlines as the government implements its aviation sector reforms.
