By Dayo Oyinlola

From its unassuming beginnings in the late 1970s, Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos has grown into one of Africa’s busiest aviation hubs, a concrete expression of Nigeria’s economic aspirations and its links to the wider world. Commissioned in 1979, the airport opened with three terminals: International Airport Terminal 1, the Pilgrims and Cargo Terminal, and Domestic Terminal 1, each designed to meet the needs of a newly outward-looking nation.

Over the decades, these facilities have been expanded, adapted, and reimagined, leaving the airport today as both a historical marker and a modernised gateway, where the legacy of Nigeria’s aviation past intersects with the future of African air travel.

Due to sustained growth in passenger traffic, the international terminal exceeded its designed operational capacity, necessitating the development and commissioning of International Terminal 2. Over time, International Terminal 2 also exceeded its intended functional capacity, prompting the comprehensive rehabilitation of International Terminal 1.

In recent months, travellers arriving at Murtala Muhammed International Terminal 1 have been met by unmistakable evidence that the airport is in the midst of a significant

transformation. Scaffolding frames the structure, heavy-duty machinery hums across the site, and widened walkways signal a terminal being reshaped in real time. The activity is more than routine construction; it reflects the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, an ambitious effort to reassert control over and reimagine the country’s busiest aviation gateway. What is unfolding is not a cosmetic upgrade, but a deliberate statement of intent, positioning Nigeria’s premier airport as a symbol of where the nation believes it belongs in the competitive airspace of the 21st century.

On July 31, 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a N712.26 billion rehabilitation and modernisation plan, marking one of the most significant single investments in the Nigerian aviation sector in recent history.

Under the agreement awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the same firm that built Terminal Two, Terminal One will essentially be stripped back to its structural core and rebuilt with state-of-the-art mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and passenger systems.

The Terminal One revamp extends well beyond surface-level refurbishment. It encompasses extensive structural reinforcement, the introduction of new glazing and façade elements, and the reconfiguration of interior layouts to improve passenger circulation. Behind the scenes, obsolete HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems are being replaced with modern installations designed to meet contemporary standards for safety, efficiency, and comfort.

Airside operations are also being reworked to create much-needed capacity. An expanded apron, upgraded taxiways, and newly constructed access bridges are expected to ease aircraft movements while allowing passengers to transition more smoothly between terminal buildings and the tarmac.

On the landside, the project confronts long-standing traffic challenges around the airport complex. Dedicated arrival and departure ring roads, modernised parking facilities, and  upgraded access points have been introduced to ease vehicular flow, reduce chronic bottlenecks, and bring a measure of order and predictability to journeys in and out of the airport.

For travellers today, the most visible change is the temporary departure terminal, an 8,000-square-metre facility designed to keep operations steady while construction continues in Terminal One. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) reports that the structure is over 90 per cent complete and will soon be operational, a critical buffer to ensure seamless travel during construction.

The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, has repeatedly assured the public that comfort, accessibility, and safety remain priorities even as construction intensifies.

As with any large-scale infrastructure overhaul, the construction has inevitably altered how passengers move through the airport. Circulation patterns are shifting, familiar access points are being reconfigured, and parking arrangements are changing in step with the build-out. To minimise disruption, travellers are being urged to arrive earlier than usual and adhere closely to advisories issued by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, whose guidance has become essential to navigating a terminal in transition.