The national assembly joint committee on aviation has asked Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd (BASL), the concessionaire operating the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 to produce valid documents to proof its (BASL’s) claim that the concession the was extended from the initial 12 years to 36
The lawmakers handed down the directive in Lagos after the managing director of MMA2, Capt, Jari Williams who was asked to explain why BASL and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were at loggerheads told the committee that the terminal was given as a concession on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis first for 12 years and later reviewed and extended to 36 years.
“The terminal was given to BASL as a concession for initial 12-year period, thereafter extended to 36 years. The terminal has six fingers, capable of handling four million passengers.
“This terminal is also positioned to handle regional flights out of Lagos. The airlines are willing to operate their regional flights out of here, but FAAN is stopping them. There are lots of breaches in the concession agreement when government kept open the general aviation terminal (GAT), which was part and parcel of passengers calculated for this project.
“50 per cent of our revenues end up in GAT. We have been trying to make the project going despite the 50 per cent shortage. The stunted growth development here would have been addressed if the government had obeyed the agreement. The revenue loss is colossal. Therefore, GAT operations should be stopped and all traffic diverted to MMA2 and all the domestic airlines doing regional operations should be made to operate from MMA2 so that we can have a cordial relationship with FAAN,” he said.
Responding, the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on aviation, Ms. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha said the lawmakers would like to listen to the various arguments concerning the concession agreement and requested to see the documents.
Also speaking, the chairman, senate committee on aviation, Mr. Adamu Aliero said the national assembly would wade into the FAAN-BASL concession controversy.
“We will listen to both sides and do justice. We want to see how we can resolve the lingering crisis for the benefit of Nigeria, Bi-Courtney and other stakeholders involved in the project. That is exactly what the joint committee of the national assembly is up to; to make sure that justice is done, we are poised to resolve the lingering crisis for the benefit of Nigeria, for the benefit of Bi-Courtney and other stakeholders involved in the project,” he said.
