Protests: Lagos airport terminals crowded as passengers arrive early for flights

Following the nationwide protests, the Lagos airport terminals on Thursday morning were crowded as passengers schedule to fly in the morning, afternoon and evening arrived very early to the flights over fear of impact from the protests.

While the airport environments were empty with skeletal vehicle movements, the airport terminals at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, (MMA2) and General Aviation Terminal (GAT) are crowded with air passengers awaiting their schedule flight time.

BusinessDay’s findings showed that airlines have been operating their flight, while a few have had to cancel their flights as a result of impact of the protects.

For instance, Air Peace canceled its Kano and Ibadan flights, while Value Jet delayed one of its flights on the domestic route.

Sources at the airport told BusinessDay that there are some flight delays which are caused by the protests, while some are caused by the weather situation.

Air Peace delayed its Benin flight as a result of weather.

“Some airlines have had to delay their flights to enable other passengers who are running late join the flight while others had to delay because of the current fussy weather across the country,” the source told BusinessDay.

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“Air Peace’s Kano and Ibadan were cancelled. Benin flight was delayed as a result of weather.”

Jennifer Onyedika, a passenger at the airport who spoke to BusinessDay on the phone said she arrived the MMA2 airport around 5.30am for her 3pm flight to Abuja to avoid been held up by the protest.

“A lot of people at the airport arrived very early in the morning and that’s why the airport is crowded. People are just waiting at the airport for their flights, most of whom their flights are in the afternoon and evening,” Onyedika said.

She said most airlines have been operating with few cancellations and delays which are understandable.

“I’m happy the airline staff are managing the crowd as everyone is being attended to according to their flight time, so as to decongest the airport terminal,” she added.

Food vendors at the airport are making huge sales as passengers order for food and drinks while they await their flights.

Already links roads leading to the airport are being blocked making it difficult passengers and vehicles to access the airport terminals.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.