Lagos Airport Arrival: 10 Burning Questions Answered

The Civil Aviation Authority is preparing the industry for an “organised, safe, secure and efficient restart” in the wake of the pandemic. Government slammed all restrictions on international commercial flights when it closed its airports on 23rd March.

Nigerians are required to quarantine while entering most parts of Europe and aware of many other countries they cannot visit as a result of entry restrictions. Her government continues to review its entry restrictions post-COVID. It’s more important than ever to check with your local airline or travel agent about these policies before landing in Lagos airport.

Immigration procedures are quite fast at Lagos airport – with or without a local handler (escort) – depending on the type of flight and peak period (could be slower). Check that your travel documents are intact and updated to avoid delays.

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Foreign visitors are required to submit a duly-completed immigration slip at immigration/passport control. This sheet is either distributed in the plane or the terminal. It, together with an accompanying visa preferably acquired in advance, an original copy of a vaccination certificate (with the yellow fever vaccine stamp if arriving from an area with known history), and passport, are the necessary travel documents.

It’s mandatory to wear a facemask throughout your time at Lagos airport and for the duration of the flight. Authorities carry out a routine but obligatory temperature checks and enforce social distancing. Non-travellers are not allowed into the terminal and loitering about the arrival hall is prohibited.

Other recommendations include frequent use of hand sanitiser and 7-day voluntary quarantine pending the outcome of your follow-up PCR-COVID-19 test. Authorities recommend travellers arrive at the airport at least one-and-a-half hour before domestic flight departure. Domestic travellers are advised to check-in online. The government regularly reviews these policies and could change at any time.

You can always hail a ride on Uber, Bolt and many up-and-coming ride-sharing apps when you arrive at the Lagos airport. The most important concern is having data/network coverage on your device. Taxi drivers will annoyingly approach you – in the terminal (more so outside) – with unsolicited perks.

Figure out pick-up and drop-off logistics well before touchdown. Most hotels and travel concierges offer different packages that’ll suit your needs. The best place to meet your driver is inside or right outside the building (Uber or Bolt drivers, who may be looking to avoid unending tension with Airport Taxis Association, may have to walk you further away for boarding). Moreover, there are no cars allowed in front of the arrival hall.

Hotels, like the upscale Bluelodge Lounge and Restaurant and Legend Hotel (Curio Collection By Hilton), sit in very close proximity with the international airport (6 minutes drive away).

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There are many other lodging facilities of different taste and ratings, with offerings between NGN11,999 and NGN50,000 per night, just outside the Lagos airport premises and around neighbouring Ikeja and Ajao Estate environs.

The notion Lagos does not maintain effective security procedures isn’t uncommon with foreigners. Ever imagined how many Lagos airport arrival scenarios there could have been? Perhaps, judging the Nigerian airport from isolated cases is nought but narrow-mindedness. Don’t misconstrue “not effective” for “non-extensive”, however.

Lagos airport security checks are quite extensive and could take you around different locations. From luggage tag checks (keep those pesky slips for they’ll be needed at the luggage carousels) to the passport desks, its rigour borderline trouble for a solo Business Class traveller who may have checked in three luggage, with no help from a porter or an escort. You may be asked to open your cases for inspection if you have a ton of hold luggage.

Someone once said, “add a ‘T’ to Lagos airport IATA code, and you have described what happens to many bags”. Do not leave items of marketable value in your checked luggage.

If possible, include arrangements for escorts and security who’ll take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their guests’ luggage.

Though it’s quite safe, its yet advisable first-time foreign visitors brush aside the commercial taxis much like many other countries. You may arrange for close friends or family or some recognised hotel or travel concierge to pick you up.

Discuss how and where to meet with your driver beforehand, possibly around the exit from the arrival hall. Avoid arriving Lagos at the dead night for your driver not to be hard to find and make sure your phone works. The airport car park is 6 minutes away, but a reliable escort service could jog you to a waiting-car, decent yards away from the terminal. Driving into town will take much longer and could lead straight into traffic congestion. Nearby lodging facilities are most preferable for nighttime arrivals.

You will be overwhelmed by ‘porters’ wanting to help in the arrival terminal. A reliable way to tell an opportunist (thief) from a legitimate porter is to look out for an official seal on his/her vest.

You have to pay for trolleys if you need one after collecting your luggage. Skyblue Logistics operates lots of porters and trolley wheels both at the Murtala Muhammed International and the local airports, affording travellers the possibility of holding the brand liable for unlikely misdeeds.

Domestic flight schedule across major Nigerian airports began picking up in the last quarter of 2020, yet local airlines berate a decline in load factor compared to 2019.

The government had resumed domestic flights at the Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Maiduguri airports as part of the gradual easing of the COVID-19-enforced restriction on economic activities. There were provisions of repatriation flights in and out of the country – in instalments – from March till September 2020. International commercial flights kicked in soon after the repatriation flights were concluded.