•No plans to reduce tariff –Bi-Courtney
By Chinelo Obogo
Passengers and visitors to the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2) have continued to fume over a 150 per cent hike in parking fees, describing the increase as excessive and frustrating.
In April, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, the company which manages the terminal, took the tariff to stratospheric heights.
Saloon cars now pay N3,500 for the first 60 minutes and N2,500 for the subsequent hour while Sports Utility Vehicles pay N4,000 for the first 60 minutes and N2,500 for the subsequent hours. For 18-seater buses and above, the flat rate is N20,000, while overnight parking costs N50,000 and anyone who loses his or her ticket will pay a penalty fee of N25,000.
Despite growing complaints and calls for a review, the facility operator, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, has insisted there are no plans to reduce the current tariff structure.
One of the visitors, Joe Agbo, who had not known about the fee increase in April, told Daily Sun that he drove to the airport this past week to pick up a family member and was shocked at how much he was expected to pay.
He said he drove an SUV and stayed for not less than 20 minutes, and was told he had to pay N4,000. “It is outrageous that this is happening and is not sustainable. Where else are we supposed to park? Why should the company managing this airport make parking so difficult for people? From the inquiries I made, I was told that the fees were increased because people were parking overnight. But just because you want to control traffic or maintain decorum does not justify this hike.
“Already, passengers sometimes pay as much as N200,000 for flight tickets. Many are practically squeezing themselves just to afford a flight ticket, and are sometimes delayed at the airport for two, three, or four hours. They struggle to afford a flight ticket and also struggle to afford parking.
Please we want a downward review of this fee. It is too high and we cannot afford it. That is a fact,” the airport user said.
Another visitor, Jide Babs, also told the Daily Sun that he had to pick his mother up from the airport but because of the flight delay, he ended up waiting an hour and 10 minutes first because the flight was delayed, and also because retrieving her luggage took considerable time. When he went to pay the fee, he was told he had to pay ₦6,500 just for parking and felt it was outrageous.
”Many Nigerians are already going through extremely difficult times and it’s not fair that airport managers are still burdening them the most. There are ways to handle the issue of those who park indiscriminately. You can tow their vehicles or impound them. Instead of doing that, the airport managers have chosen to increase the fee by over N150,000. That is not good at all,” he said.
Daily Sun reached out to BASL to know if there are any plans for a downward review of the parking fares and the Public Relations Officer, Ajoke Olawoyin said there are no such plans at the moment.
She said that adjustments of this nature often generate public reactions, especially initially and that the parking tariff review was part of a broader operational and infrastructure sustainability initiative aimed at improving traffic efficiency management, parking space turnover, security monitoring, maintenance of the multi-level facility, and overall passenger experience within the terminal environment. The review, she said, also reflected prevailing economic realities and rising operational costs.
”At the moment, there are no immediate plans to reverse the current tariff. The review has helped achieve some of its key operational objectives, particularly in improving parking space availability, reducing prolonged occupation of parking slots, and enhancing traffic flow within the terminal environment. The car park is now more structured and efficient in terms of vehicle turnover and general usage.
”The objective of the review was not revenue-driven. It was designed to address operational concerns, including traffic congestion within the terminal vicinity and the increasing cost of maintaining the facility and related services. Management continues to monitor the impact across these areas.
”The overall impact of the review is being assessed holistically, including operational efficiency, traffic flow, parking turnover, and customer experience,” she said.
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