₦airaland Forum

AlphaTaikun:
@Bbsharon, I trust you're doing okay.

Wow! This thread brings back memories for me 'Dami.

My first trip ever into Kotoka International Airport was in 1987 via one of the 4 brand new Nigeria Airways wide-bodied Airbus A310 planes. We were originally flying from MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos to the very well-planned and beautiful city of Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire for an international conference at Hotel Ivoire [where the iconic pop legend Michael Jackson stayed during his 1986 visit to that country].

The Airbus plane first landed smoothly at Kotoka Airport, Accra which had about 3 disused or crashed planes littered around and it felt good to be in that huge Nigeria Airways A310 plane [as a person of Nigerian descent] when compared to other smaller passenger planes parked on the tarmac.

We then flew off again onboard the Airbus A310 from Kotoka Airport, Accra for the nearby city of Abidjan, in Cote d'Ivoire after spending close to one hour at Kotoka Airport.

The new Kotoka International Airport Terminals as of 2022 are more functional and modern than the Kotoka Airport of 1987.



Safe Trips.

Ciao.





Attached below is an image of a Nigeria Airways Airbus A310. [One of the four ever purchased directly from the Airbus factory in 1985].

Thanks for sharing!! Talking about the Nigeria Airways plane showed it’s really been a long time ago. And yes, the kotoka international Airport was renovated not too long ago

Good to have you here!! Have you been on this route before using Airpeace or at the Kotoka international Airport Accra at any point in time ? Kindly share your experience. Thanks for your comment…

https://www.travelwithdemmy.com/2022/08/flying-airpeace-from-lagos-to-kotoka.html

In this video I shared my honest flight review using Airpeace Airline for my return trip to Accra from Lagos.

My flight was delayed for 3hours plus and it was a night flight so it was a frustrating experience having to stay in the airport for that long due to flight delays.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RpWNYeFcEI

AlphaTaikun:
'Dami, the first landing of the Airbus A380 at the then newly-constructed Terminal 3 of Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Accra will interest you. Flights of jumbo jets into and out of MMIA Terminal 2, Ikeja, Lagos ought to be happening on the regular as well.



The First A380 lands in Accra | Emirates Airline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McPg1lE-MnY
Emirates · 8 Oct 2018

Interesting, I will check this out

lionlee216:
This will be first time I'm hearing about Airbus 380 in Nigeria. When did it start flying into Nigeria?

I actually put in the aircraft I know that are operated by those Airlines. So, most likely they could be operating with those bigger kind of aircrafts in the old terminal and are unable to do so in this new terminal.

AlphaTaikun:
Dami, I just watched the video review of MMIA Terminal 2. It was another insightful trip.

You and @Mstravelindiva always go into deeper details with your travel reviews... Paying attention to little details.

After so much was pumped into this project... I still can't fathom how the design flaws came about. This kind of huge project usually has Project Managers to prevent design flaws and more.


Ciao.

Thanks for the compliment…It’s just so sad that such avoidable error was made on such huge project. I hope they get around it and make it work and live it’s purpose.

Overall, I feel this new terminal need to be looked into and whatever it is that needs to be done to accommodate and attract other airlines to start operating here needs to be put in place. Otherwise, we might just be looking at another half abandoned project on the way.

Have you been at this new terminal? what do you think? kindly share...Thanks.

You can also read up the Blog post here

https://www.travelwithdemmy.com/2022/07/lagos-international-airport-new.html

The airport has two food courts, four premium lounges, 22 guest rooms, a spa, 16 airline ticketing offices, visa on arrival, port health facility, a praying area, and more than 3,000 square metres of duty-free space.

After going through the check in protocols and custom, I had to wait for my flight which has been further delayed and so I had more time to go around the Airport and look around once again. While going around I went to the restaurant available at the food court area and had a cup of tea due to the cold. The restaurant offers basic Nigeria food and snacks. I also noticed a children play area close to the restaurant which was still covered up in wraps and definitely has not been put to use. The restaurant has an onscreen TV where you can see your flight scheduled times and also an over-head speaker where you can listen to the flight scheduled being called out so you don't have to worry about missing out vital information while you eat.

I also checked out the wash area and noticed the commendable option for ‘abled’ people available.

The facility is said to be built on a landmass of approximately 56,000 metres with 66 check-in counters and has the capacity to process 14 million passengers annually. Interesting, but then why do we have just one airline operating there at the moment?

Well, according to my findings and articles online the terminal is said to have a design error from the ontset and the inauguration was delayed at a time to correct the error and even after that the terminal still doesn't have the apron space to accommodate widebody aircraft. This is the reason why major world airline carriers such as the British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, United airline etc. are refusing to move their big body aircrafts such as the Boeing 787, Airbus A380 and Dreamliner, 777, 747 to this terminal.

By just a glance at the check in counters one can see that only one airline is operating at the counters for now which is Airpeace and unarguably the major Nigeria operating carrier airline for now. Airpeace operates from this terminal flying to major African cities like Johannesburg, Accra, Freetown, Doula and then to Middle-East Dubai.

I took a tour around the facilities and what caught my attention was the artworks on the wall which is actually beautiful but aside that this looks just much like a big underutilized space with so many empty counters, not much attraction yet like shops to get items while at the airport and the place was just so cold.

At a point I was shivering from the cold and had to locate a warm part of the building to stay while I wait for my delayed flight. I noticed just a pharmacy shop and one other one at extreme ends from each other. I even tried to get an item from the pharmacy but there was no one available to attend to me as I was told they were not yet open and that was around 8am.

So, apparently there is a new terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos which was inaugurated earlier this year but has been under utilized so far with just one Nigeria major airline carrier operating from the base.

The new Terminal of the Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal 2 was commissioned 22nd March, 2022 by President Muhammed Buhari and is one of the five terminals airport project being built by the administration included in a bilateral arrangement between the Federal Government and the People’s Republic of China.

Recently, I had the opportunity of traveling through

this new terminal and I was surprised at how much of a big space that was not put into full use this project was.

Seun Lalasticlala justwise Disguy


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUIHfLcwx5w

Godswings:
Any idea on how friendly their terms and conditions are favourable to PwDs – Most especially wheelchair users?

I'm sorry i have no idea about that

brightalo1010:
The cheap flight price means serving snacks will be hard,

At times peace air will be 60k and green Africa will be 48k, how much snack is peace going to serve? I prefer the cheap price to snacks abeg.

I've only been to Ilorin motor park abi Airport.

Motor park indeed

AlphaTaikun:
@BBsharon,

That's another insightful review from you! I love airline reviews.
I visited this thread when it was still on page one yesterday and just liked and shared the video and
posts you made with the intent to make my comments later...

Boom! I logged back into NL and your newsworthy review is on the NL front page!


So, Demi, have you ever flown into Akure Airport before now and what airline did you use?


Second, did you know that the
ATR series aircraft is one of the planes that is used as an ISR (Intelligence Surveilance &
Reconnaisance) platform in the
Nigerian Airforce and they are flown into the battlefields by
female Nigerian Airforce pilots?
The ATR is a very rugged plane for commercial and military use.


Ciao.

Thanks for the comment and compliment. No, it was my first time flying to Akure Airport then, reasons for my Airport Review also.
The Airforce plane information is very interesting, thanks for the knowledge shared.

Dproperties:
I just checked I noticed they don't have my Routes

Abuja to Porthacourt

Oh yea, it’s Lagos to Portharcourt return

chris81964:
It was more competitive when they started. Now there is not that much difference in price between them and the carriers with bigger planes. I have been flying them since last year and whatever advantage they used to have is gone. I took them to Owerri and flew back via Dana through Port Harcourt. We had 23kg luggage allowance on Dana that we did not have with GreenAfrica.

I guess they are done with their catchy marketing then

brightalo1010:
I've been using green Africa since this year and they're the best.

I asked them about the snack they said it is in the charges and as you can see they're actually the cheapest when it comes to domestic price.

There landing has been smooth and no delay in taking off.


Talking about airports, you need to see Ilorin airport first before complaining about Akure own Lol.

Ilorin airport only have flight going to either Abuja or Lagos. So I have to fly to Lagos first before going to owerri

I'm using them from owerri to Lagos. 12.30

So they charge for the snacks separately Guess Ilorin, Ibadan and Akure Airport are all about the same then!!

skytreader:
These folks closed the check-in counter before time and we had to sprint through the airport. Barely made it. Thank goodness we'd checked in online.

That’s the advantage of online check in

victorsola:
no it’s not new

Interesting!!

JuanDeDios:
Well, it's a budget airline. No snacks, no luggage, etc. is how they achieve that. Plus the fact they're using turbo-powered planes, which use less fuel and fly lower and slower. Good review.

Thanks �

AmazingELixir:
Sorry I meant the duration

45 Minutes!!

DeLaRue:
You said the Abuja-Akure route is unpopular, yet you went on to say airpeace was fully booked, and that 2 other airlines ply the route on a daily basis!

There's also 6 daily flights to and from Lagos. That's 12 flights per day, including Abuja.

How more 'popular' do you want the route to be.

Of course Akure is not Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt or Enugu, but I bet it is in the top 12 of routes in Nigeria and growing fast.

Our of 36 state capitals, Akure can be proud of itself.

Fully booked because I booked two days before my flight date.
And yes it’s unpopular compared to other routes. Besides Green Africa just started flying that route last year and Airpeace too joined not too long ago. Formerly it was just Overland.

AmazingELixir:
Op what is the flight time between Abuja and Akure ?

For some days 10am and some other times 2pm

hotboz:
I had an unpleasant experience with them though. They shifted my flight from 11:30am to 5pm. Meanwhile, the meeting I was going for in Abuja was slated for 5pm.

I had to return home. Till now, I haven't been refunded. Said I should wait for 6-8weeks. Imagine.

That’s sad!!

Jollyman19:
Who pushed this to front page should indicate it as sponsored post jaree. With somehow reviews. Mcheeew

It’s not sponsored!! A lot of people expect reviews to be always bad but it wasn’t for me so I won’t say otherwise.

Dproperties:
they seems not having port as their destination the last time I checked

They do

Odaveboy:
Had my first experience with green Africa airline around December last year (2021) ... AKURE --LAGOS--AKURE...... It was a smooth ride anyways... but the air conditioning in the plane ehn......aside that it is 70/100 for me

The Air conditioning was bad ?

akins33:
Been coming to that Airport since 1986,those days,there was no Nepa Electricity ther it was Gen al thru. Only Cargo planes or Chartered Flights lnded.Until a philanthropist Akinnagbe started a private airline but it did not last.Most of the staff in the airport been working there since the 80s.

Wow!! Interesting

Esseite:
Let's leave the green Africa first... is that the main Airport?

Yes it is

Highman56:
I was there a few years back.There were alot of people there

The day I went I was the only one but it was also towards evening and not a weekend. Guess that’s why

ozo13:
how many passengers can the plane carry at a time

About 70

victorsola:
that new building has been there for years . Yes it’s a proposed site but has been abandoned for years. The things you see are just what’s available at the airport nothing more.

Really? But it looks like construction is going on there