The best airports are determined by their facilities, infrastructure, flight schedules, and load handling capacity. The quality of the runways and management of traffic are additional factors that contribute to making an airport great.
However, there are about 32 airports in Nigeria which only 5 are international airports, while the some are Domestic airports but carry the tag ‘International’ which are not truly international except the top 5 listed in the content.
Meanwhile, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos tops the list of 5 international airports in Nigeria in terms of structure, scale, traffic, and international connectivity.
5. Akanu Ibiam International Airport
Akanu Ibiam International Airport is an airport serving Enugu, the capital city of Enugu State, Nigeria. It is the major airport in the Southeastern part as it serves nearby cities, such as Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, Afikpo, Nsukka, Okigwe, Abakaliki, Ugep, Orlu, Idah, Otukpo and Ogoja. The airport is named after Akanu Ibiam, a medical doctor and statesman from Afikpo, Ebonyi State. Airlines include; Air Peace, Arik Air, Med-view Airline, Ethiopian Airlines and Aero Contractors. There are other Nigerian airports that carry the tag ‘International’ which are not truly international except for the top 5 listed above.
4. Port Harcourt International Airport
It is an international Airport located in Omagwa, a suburb of Port Harcourt, the capital city of Nigeria. It is the airport serving the oil rich city state of Rivers, Nigeria. It is the third busiest airport in Nigeria according to FAAN. Major airlines includes; Aero Contractors, Dana Air, Air France, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines.
3. Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport
Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is located in the city of Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. It is named after Politician Aminu Kano. It was a Royal Air Force station before the country became independent. It is the major airport in the Northern part of Nigeria and it serves Muslim pilgrimage purposes. Airlines includes; Kabo Air, Saudia, Sudan Airways, Flynas, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Peace and so on.
2. Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport
Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport is located in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. It is named after Nigeria’s first President Nnamdi Azikwe. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has its head office in the airport grounds. The airport was built in 2000 and opened in 2002. The Federal Airport Authority of Nigerian (FAAN) says its terminal building can process up to 15 million passengers annually. The list of airlines include; Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Africa World Airlines, Air France, ASKY Airlines, Azman Air, Lufthansa, RwandAir, Overland Airways and so on.
1. Murtala Mohammed International Airport
Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located at Ikeja, the capital city of Lagos, Nigeria. It is named after former Nigerian military head of state, Murtala Mohammed. It is the busiest airport in Nigeria. It has both the passenger and cargo airlines touring the world from this destination. The list of airlines includes; Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, Air France, British Airways, Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Gonos Airlines and so on.
Conclusion
Nigerian airports are not among the best in the world. In fact, they are not even among the best in Africa. But they provide the required connectivity and services to the residents of Nigeria, as well as international passengers who are looking to get into and out of the country.
There are various airlines providing cargo and freight services as well. The international airports are decent in their size of operations. Domestic airports are smaller but are able to accommodate the traffic and demand that they face.
