Arriving passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) no longer have to complain of heat as management of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has made good its promise to make the terminal passenger friendly.
FAAN has replaced the chillers at the Arrival Wing of the International Airport thereby making it as cool as it used to be in late 1970 and 1980s when the terminal was newly commissioned.
The airports authority which said this is the first stage of what is meant to be a total overhaul of the cooling system as it plans to extend the chillers to the Departure Wing as soon as possible to give passengers the right experience.
A visit to the airport terminal on Wednesday revealed that the newly installed chillers have been put into use shortly after it was commissioned on February 12, 2019.
During the visit to the terminal our reporter observed, unlike before, that the chillers were working at optimum and surprisingly watched as workers around the Arrival D and E as well as people around the lobby cladded in cardigans.
In recent years, there has been hues and cries on the high temperature in the terminal causing passengers who just arrived the country to complain bitterly, however, the installation of the chilling system, this seemed to have changed.
Passengers arriving the terminal on board Kenyan, British Airways and RwandAir, especially frequent travellers, reacted to the new chill that greeted them on arrival.
A passenger who identified himself simply as Daniel who spoke to African Business Travel News outside the terminal said the cooling system was a welcome development but urged the airport managers to ensure that it is maintained and does not go bad again.
“Look, my brother, I have travelled this airport on several occasions and this is the first time in years that I step out of the aircraft and feel like I am still in a lush environment. In fact I feel the same sensation as if I’m still in the aircraft and although this is quite nice, they need to maintain it so it doesn’t get bad. Maintenance is key.”
Our reporter also learnt that apart from plans to extend the chill to departure that other works are ongoing including the change of the ceilings as well are relighting of the terminal.
