Lagos Airport terminal 1building will beat Miami’s — Babalakin boasts


Posted to the Web: Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Chairman of Bi-Courtney Consortium, builders of Lagos Airport terminal 1 edifice, Dr. Wale Babalakin, has boasted the project would beat that of Miami, USA, one of the world’s most modern and busiest airports.

Bi-Courtney Consortium got the Federal Government’s nod to provide the facility on build, own and transfer basis following the failure of the former builders, Sanderton, to deliver.

Dr. Babalakin said the Lagos Airport terminal 1 building would be one of the world’s most modern airport buildings when it is completed this year, especially as it is coming with a six-storey four-star hotel being built opposite.

According to him, the project will very well serve to prepare Lagos and Nigeria for the hub the country had been aspiring to be. “The hotel is designed as an extremely comfortable accommodation. Its aesthetics are unique and the entire ambience is a showpiece of modern architecture.
“A paramount consideration of the hotel is security. The entire project focuses considerably on security. Comparisons are almost impossible to make as they do not exist.

“However, a considerable effort can be found in Miami, United States. We want to assure you that our concept is even far more advanced than the one in Miami,” Dr. Babalakin told newsmen in a recent interview in Lagos.

The terminal building is to be linked with the hotel by an overhead bridge to ensure there is no hindrance to smooth flow of traffic.
The hotel is also coming with such facilities as casinos, banquet halls, restaurants and spar, swimming pool, shopping mall as well as airline lounges.
Government’s position on the capacity of the airport terminal project to put Nigeria in the stead for hub status is not different, as Aviation Minister, Prof. Babalola Borishade, had said at the foundation-laying ceremony of the hotel, that the terminal building and accompanying hotel would be a spectacle.

He said the project represented government’s avowed determination to divest from areas of investment for which the private sector enjoys economies of scale.
Borishade said the project should gladden the hearts of well-meaning Nigerians because, according to him, “it lends further credence to the belief of the Federal Government that the private sector should play a prominent role in the provision of services and infrastructure that drive the wheel of the economy.”

He said government was satisfied that it took the option of having the terminal building, which was gutted by fire in 2001, re-built on BOT basis, despite the challenges posed by the new concept being something new in the country.

The terminal building is also coming with features as shopping malls, banking halls, medical facilities, offices, ultra-modern car parks with a capacity for 500 cars at a time, walkways, connecting bridges, pillars, vast lounges, post office and conveyor belts.

PS: I am trying to find some pics but in vain Can anybody help me?

Me too. I'm not sure they can achieve everything they said but we'll wait with crossed fingers -- all the money being used on the airport can't it be used for better things?

Is this going to be another excuse to incur more debts and continue the fall of the Naira?

I'm surprised by the amount of facilities they are claiming for the hotel as the space they are building it on looks pretty small to me.

The terminal and especially the multi-storey car park do look very well done. I will try and take a pic next time I'm passing and post it.

Hi Mongue, please do that, just take a couple of pics even if they are showing teh place which is under construction. I am burning to see them. Moreover, I would like to place them in http://skyscrapercity.com. (the largest construction website of the world) (people all over the world come to this site and portray what their countries have to offer while Nigeria is desperately underepresented). We, as "simple" Nigerians need to polish up our image a bit, even it is just by showing our construction sites!

Here are a couple of pics, not very impressive but gives you a vague idea of what's happening. the building on the left is the car park, the right is the terminal

Sorry, it's the other way round, the terminal is on the left!! Doh

The other shows how far they have gone with the hotel.

Hi Mongue,
Thanks for posting those pics.  Finally! The first ever photos of this huge project to be posted on the Net for the public to see, and evaluate!  These photos were taken roughly a month ago, I wonder if you have more pics, I would love to see more pics of the front facade of the terminal and possibly the architectural perspective on the construction signboard,  Thanks a lot, this made my day, since the other thread I posted (same topic) was effectively ignored by everyone!

Still the public has little information still on this project.  The promoters of the project, Stabilini Visinoni and Bi-Courtney Consortium proudly claim that the building will beat Miami Airport.  We dare ask, how exactly will they do that? What qualities and features will the terminal have, but is lacking at Miami?  What about specifications.   For instance, how many gates (airbridges) will it have, the passenger capacity (millions of passenger/annum), the number of floors, etc.   I think that with Nigeria trying to promote tourism and foreign direct investment, this building will be strategic in that if it was of the first impressions/images and professionalism+efficiency is what Nigeria needs to project at the moment,   Another concern is it size because very soon Nigeria will boast ARIK Air and NICON Airways, among others, who will surely use this facility.  Heck, Virgin Nigeria might move their domestic operations there should the international terminal prove too congested, since they are expanding rapidly.

The current domestic "shack" is truly a disgrace to the country and I will be glad to see it flattened soon!

Guys let us keep this thread active, and discuss exciting developments in LAGOS Domestic Airport project.

Hello all,
Looks like Nigeria will finally have a befitting domestic air terminal in Lagos.
I hope it wil have aviobridges?

any news on the project, folks? Pics updates, etc. are appreciated,

If you like i can contact my uncle he is an architect and know big people in MMIA, might have some info on the domestic terminal, but what am i meant to say

Dear Uncle
I know i never mail you and ask about your family and i've been a bad nephew, but this is more important than family, do you have some info on the domestic terminal and maybe some pics hey uncle
Your Nephew
The ugly one

Or i guess i could build it up with time

??

Mol

More pictures of the Lagos Airport (Local) Terminal

more pictures

the new terminal is behind the plane

Nice pictures, I hope the finishing turns out good.

I hope so too 

some pictures of the new terminal

How much space will the retail stores take up?
They should link that Terminal with a shuttle train to the Main Terminal building

Hoe big is the terminal in Square Metres?

Terminal Exterior

Looks too good till its true.Lets c what happens when its completed.

The monorail linking MMA T2 to T1 is phase 2. I think if finance issue is settled quickly, a pre-fab kit can be imported and installed within 1 year! This is assuming that FAAN doesn't get in the way of course

Huh dt wld be so good oh

The new airport local terminal is all thaaaaaaaaaat

Nice to see Alucobond aluminum panels used in Nigeria!
The terminal is beginning to look real and contemporary! Kudos to the promoters. I only ask them to have mercy on the airlines in fees, etc.

awesome

New Pictures

[size=13pt]**Front View of the New Terminal**[/size]


[size=13pt]**4star Hotel Springing Up**[/size]


[size=13pt]**AvioBridge**[/size]

Wonderful pics.Am so so happy

Pls stick to d topic of dis thread.


If u cant get ur sef butted out

Help ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

4 Star Hotel in the domestic Airport
[img]http://jenola.photosite.com/~photos/tn/9879320_1024.ts1176562671000.jpg[/img]

We don arrive oh

Great project for the country after a long time but the fact is all the hungry monkey without law and order in their brain will still make the place look like a war zone in a short while.Lets hope it will be managed well and we don't need to burn candle or touch light while waiting to check in or out,