Murtala Muhammed International Airport, LagosA renowned Aviation security consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Aviation Safety and Security Consults, Group John Ojikutu (Retired) has proposed to the management of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to proscribe operations of about 100 limousine shuttle buses operating between domestic and international terminals of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
Ojikutu, in the document titled: Proposal for the concession of Shuttle buses for passengers between Murtala Muhammed Terminals” sent to the Managing Director of FAAN anagement of FAAN with a copy posted on his confirmed WhatsApp page, alleged that the operations of the limousine Kombi Shuttle buses in the Airport posed security threats to the environment of the Lagos Airport.
“Presently, there are about 100 kombi buses operating on the road that the background of the owners, the drivers and the buses registration particulars may not be substantially known and guaranteed for the airport security assessment,” he alleged.
The CEO of Centurion Aviation Safety and Security Consults who insisted that the earnings from concession given to the operators of limousine tbuses would not compensate for the consequences of threats and risk that their operation at the airport pose to the airport security, reasoned that the presence of the limousine operators in the Airport could be a source of internal security threats to the Lagos Airport.
“The earnings from the concession given to the operators of these buses would not compensate for the consequences of threats and risk that their operation at the airport pose to the airport security. Their operations could overall be the sources of internal threats to the airport.,” Ojikutu alleged.
He therefore encouraged the management of FAAN in like with the global best practices at international airports; to have safe, modern and standard shuttle transport buses for prospecting and transiting passengers
“Whereas the global best practices at major international airports today are to have safe, modern and standard shuttle transport buses for prospecting and transiting passengers within the airport and between the airport terminals on dedicated airport services roads.
He added, “Centurion Aviation Safety and Security Consults, a company that has over the years been involved with the security of the Nigerian airports, is proposing to FAAN to consider giving it the concession for running global standard shuttle transport buses between the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) four terminals of GAT, MMA2, the International Terminals and the Cargo Terminals. The proposal is to give the airport, the desired international image and to assist FAAN achieve global best practice of Airport Council International (ACI) for its airports with a view to providing a purse friendly, standard, 36- Seater transit bus services for passengers and airport users.
Adding, “This proposal is planned to reduce the airport motor traffic by about 30 per cent if the Kombi buses are replaced by standard buses and by 50 percent if FAAN would address the closure of Bisam and airport toll gates”
He also assured FAAN that Centurion Aviation Safety and Security Consults would be available for further discussions should the Airport authority found the proposal relevant to solving the traffic challenges on the Airport Service Road and the security of passengers and airport users.
