Regional flights to move to MM2 as FG settles 20-year dispute with Bi-Courtney

Regional flights is expected to soon move to Murtala Muhammed Airport terminal two (MMA2) in Lagos as the federal government has approved a settlement of a 20-year dispute with Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited.

This means that airlines would soon start operating regional flights from the facility.

This has been a longstanding issue in the concession of the facility to Bi-Courtney, the operator of MMA2, which had its approval to run regional flights withdrawn under President Goodluck Jonathan, the regime of former despite the company’s over N600 million investment.

Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, announced the development on Thursday after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Keyamo said the agreement, reached with Wale Babalakin, Bi-Courtney’s leader, resolves longstanding issues surrounding the concession of MMA2, which dates back to 2003.

“Council today approved the terms of the agreement we reached with Babalakin to settle all the vexed issues surrounding that airport,” the minister said.

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He said one of the major points of contention was Bi-Courtney’s claim that the concession covered the adjacent MMA1 domestic terminal — a position upheld by the supreme court, which ordered the federal government to pay N132 billion plus interest.

According to him, Bi-Courtney has agreed to waive the debt, return MMA1 to federal government control, and drop exclusivity clauses blocking projects like Lekki Airport.

In return, the government has restored to the company the concession for a stalled hotel and conference centre project opposite MMA2.

“We gave it back to him. Complete and run it on a shared basis with the federal government. So it’s not even exclusive,” he said.

“So he has 24 months to complete that conference center and hotel. We told him we will not tolerate any delay again.”

The minister noted the deal also provides for the relocation of regional flight operations to MMA2 and activates revenue-sharing between the federal government and the concessionaire.

“Immediately after today, the federal government will now begin to earn its own share from the operations of MMA2,” Keyamo said.

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.