Activities pick up at MMIA after Easter break

By JIMOH BABATUNDE Vanguardngrnews.com

Ikeja— Normal activities picked up at the domestic and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, yesterday, following the resumption of work after the Easter break.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who went around the terminals at the airport, observed that the various airline counters witnessed long queues of passengers buying tickets to return to either their places of work or where they lived.
There was a high traffic of both commercial and private vehicles conveying either staff or passengers in and out of the airport.
Mr Shamsudeen Alao, one of the commercial bus operators registered by the airport authorities to operate between Ikeja and the international airport, said that he was happy that the break was over.
“The patronage was dull during the break as most offices were closed and workers enjoyed the period with their families.
“But as at noon today, I know how much I had raked in from workers that boarded my bus.
“That is also the situation with other bus and cab operators,” he said.
Also, Alhaja Biola Shittu, a food vendor, said that business activities had significantly picked up, compared to the situation between last Friday and Monday, when they could only provide skeletal services.
NAN also observed that most of the flights scheduled for the day were operating as at when due.
Some of the passengers who could not find seats within the terminal buildings, however, stood in groups, clutching their luggage.
A passenger on queue at Aero Airline counter, who did not want his name mentioned, said: “My brother, the Easter celebration is over and I have to return to Abuja where I work, after celebrating the break with my family here in Lagos.
“It was an eventful period and I also had enough time to rest,” he said.
Mr Chinedu Obiora, who was travelling to Port Harcourt, was making telephone contact with a friend on when he would arrive there, so that the friend could pick him up.
He said that he had almost exhausted the cash on him and would not want to be stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport on arrival.
Mrs Halimat Ibrahim, who was returning to Yola, suggested that the management of the airports should increase their infrastructure, especially seats, to guarantee the comfort of passengers during peak periods.
“It is not ideal for passengers waiting for their flights to be loitering around, since passengers are expected to arrive the airports at least some 30 minutes ahead of their scheduled boarding time,” Ibrahim said.
She, however, commended the seamless operations of the airlines, saying that flight cancellations would have complicated issues for passengers.
Meanwhile, patronage at eateries in the airport’s arrival and departure halls was high.
A waiter in one of the eateries told NAN that they were having a busy time with higher patronage from passengers who were awaiting their flights.
“This is good for our business and God is really blessing us in the true spirit of the Easter season,” she said.