Chidoka must read this: Angry passengers berate FAAN/FG for wrong location of airport’s car park

Aviation Minister, Chidoka

Passengers and other stakeholders have decried the ugly experience being daily encountered while exiting the temporary car park of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The temporary car park, located about a kilometre away from the arrival hall of the airport, was provided by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria following the demolition of the old one in order to make room for the building of a new terminal by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company and also a multi-storey car park.

Having to trek for a while before getting to the car park, according to the passengers, is uncomfortable and unbearable, especially for those who have travelled for long distances.

Some passengers, who spoke to our correspondent on the development, said that most of the time, they were left with little or no choice but to drag their luggage over a distance of more than one kilometre to the temporary car park, describing it as a tough experience, especially for those who had many bags.

The passengers wondered why they had to go through such an experience before they could board vehicles that would take them to their final destinations after long flights.

A passenger, Ms. Titi Awojobi, told our correspondent that she had to go through a very unpleasant experience when she came into the country last week after being away for about three years.

She said, “I was almost out of breath by the time I managed to locate the car park; it is such a distance and I came in with a whole lot of luggage having been away from the country for over three years.

“If this is their idea of being orderly and security conscious, I think they should have a re-think and learn how things are done in other climes; it is not right for passengers and airport users to be subjected to such long distant trek after coming from long journeys; the authorities should look into the issue.”

Another passenger, Mrs. Yemi Odumosu, who came in from the United Kingdom on Monday, said, “I think it is rather unfortunate that when our authorities want to do the right thing, they end up doing it the wrong way; they should do their homework well; it is not nice for a car park to be such a distance from the airport, and when it rains like it did just before we touched down, the whole area will be messy and unsightly.

“There are ways that these things can be handled; it is about doing a little research here and there; after all, we are coming from other countries, we see how these things are being done and we want FAAN or whoever is in charge to come up with better and easier options for passengers.”

Also complaining about the development, Mr. Tochukwu Onuoha, said the shuttle buses provided by FAAN for passengers were usually not consistent and their operations not properly coordinated, adding that passengers, especially those who came in at night, had to wait for so long before the buses would arrive.

This, he added, exposed the passengers to dangers as they mixed with all sorts of people and touts on the way to the temporary car park.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the agency was aware of some of the difficulties that the passengers were facing and was working on resolving them.

“You know that FAAN is here to serve the people, because we exist for the passengers; so, we take every issue that concerns them very seriously. We will work on these and introduce some changes soon,” he said.

Punch