A Naija graduate flying home from Atlanta on the Delta non-stop, a Lebanese trader connecting from Beirut on Middle East Airlines through Brussels, an Igbo grandmother returning from London on British Airways with a stack of grandchildren’s school clothes, an Air Peace 777 lifting off for Jeddah at the start of Hajj season — Murtala Muhammed International (LOS) handles the entirety of Nigerian aviation’s outsized personality across its two adjacent terminals on the western edge of Lagos. It is the busiest airport in West Africa, the most important port of entry into the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and one of the most operationally complex on the continent thanks to the FAAN/Bi-Courtney terminal split, the NAHCON-coordinated Hajj movement, and the post-2022 surge in direct-North America capacity.
This guide explains, in 2026 terms, what travellers actually need to know: which terminal handles which flights, what the FAAN-operated MMA1 and the Bi-Courtney-operated MMA2 do differently, how the NCAA regulates carriers, what the NCS customs flow looks like in practice, and how to manage the airport-to-city transit that has historically been the single most asked-about logistic in Lagos travel planning.
A short history of Murtala Muhammed International
The airport opened as Lagos Airport in 1979, replacing the older Ikeja Airfield. It was renamed in honour of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, the Nigerian head of state assassinated in 1976, with the full official title Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The original FAAN-built international terminal (the predecessor of today’s MMA1) was completed at independence-era standards and underwent a sequence of incremental refurbishments. The newer MMA2 (Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2) opened on 7 April 2007, built and operated under a build-operate-transfer concession by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited as the domestic terminal — the first major privately-operated airport terminal on the African continent.
The full international terminal was substantially modernised under the Chinese-funded MMIA-2 expansion project completed in 2022, with new check-in islands, baggage handling, immigration lanes and apron jet bridges. The two terminals operate as separate landside facilities about one kilometre apart, connected by a free FAAN shuttle service.
The IATA code LOS and the ICAO code DNMM apply to the full airport campus, which sits at Ikeja, Lagos State.
MMA1 versus MMA2 — the terminal split
The most operationally important thing to understand about LOS is that international and domestic flights use physically separate terminals with no airside connection.
MMA1 — FAAN-operated, handles all international flights:
- Nigerian: Air Peace International, Arik Air International (limited), and occasional charter operations
- African: Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, RwandAir, Asky, Royal Air Maroc, EgyptAir, South African Airways
- European: British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Brussels Airlines (Lufthansa Group), Iberia
- Middle East: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Saudia, Middle East Airlines (MEA)
- North America: Delta (daily Atlanta), Air Peace seasonal Washington-Dulles
- Asia: One-stop through European or Gulf hubs
MMA2 — Bi-Courtney-operated, handles all domestic flights:
- Air Peace Domestic
- Arik Air Domestic
- Ibom Air
- United Nigeria Airlines
- Green Africa
- Dana Air (when operational)
- ValueJet
A small number of domestic carriers also use the older General Aviation Terminal (GAT) near MMA2 for specific routes.
Transferring between MMA1 and MMA2 requires landside transit: collect checked baggage at MMA1 arrivals, take the FAAN shuttle (or a metered taxi, NGN 1,500-2,500) to MMA2, recheck baggage and pass through fresh security. Allow at least 2.5 hours connection time when self-connecting between an international arrival and a domestic departure, or 3 hours in reverse.
Airlines and route network
Air Peace is Nigeria’s flag carrier in everything but legal title. It operates a wide domestic network from MMA2 and a growing international network from MMA1, with year-round services to London-Gatwick, Dubai, Sharjah, Jeddah (Hajj/Umrah), Mumbai, Johannesburg and a fluctuating short-haul West African mesh. Air Peace launched LOS-IAD (Washington Dulles) in 2024 as the first Nigerian-registered carrier to operate a US route.
International network from MMA1 in 2026 includes daily or near-daily services on Delta (ATL), British Airways (LHR), Lufthansa (FRA), Air France (CDG), KLM (AMS), Turkish Airlines (IST), Qatar Airways (DOH), Emirates (DXB), Saudia (JED, RUH seasonal), Ethiopian (ADD), Kenya Airways (NBO), Royal Air Maroc (CMN), Egyptair (CAI), Asky (LFW), Middle East Airlines (BEY via Accra), and South African Airways (JNB).
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is the regulator. NCAA enforces ICAO Annex compliance, audits Nigerian-registered carriers for AOC renewal, and operates the consumer-protection complaints framework under the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) Part 19 — which is the local equivalent of EU261 but with much lower compensation amounts and limited published enforcement.
Immigration, customs and yellow-fever
Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) operates the arrival counters at MMA1 with separate lanes for Nigerian passport holders, ECOWAS nationals, eVisa-on-arrival holders and other foreign nationals. Peak hours (06:00-09:00 and 22:00-02:00) routinely produce 45-90 minute queues; off-peak clears in 20-40 minutes.
The eVisa-on-arrival programme, introduced under the 2023 visa-policy reform, lets pre-approved business travellers from selected countries collect their visa at the airport — print the approval letter and present it with the passport.
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) operates the standard red/green channel post-immigration. The personal-effects allowance covers used items in reasonable personal-use quantity; the duty-free goods limit is 1 litre alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes (or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco) and approximately NGN 65,000 in other goods. Cash above USD 10,000 equivalent must be declared on a currency declaration form; under-declaration is liable to seizure.
The WHO International Certificate of Vaccination for yellow fever is required of all arriving travellers and is sometimes spot-checked at the Port Health desk before immigration. Travellers without the certificate are subject to on-the-spot vaccination at the airport facility (typically USD 30-50) and a 10-day observation requirement.
Hajj and Umrah operations
Nigerian Hajj travel is coordinated through the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), which negotiates the annual Hajj quota with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, allocates state-pilgrim contingents to the State Pilgrims Welfare Boards (SPWBs), and contracts Hajj-charter capacity with Air Peace, Max Air and Saudia.
The Hajj movement runs from Lagos, Kano (KAN), Abuja (ABV), Sokoto (SKO), Maiduguri (MIU), Yola (YOL) and a rotating selection of other state capitals during the pre-Hajj window (typically Dhul Qadah / Dhul Hijjah) and the post-Hajj return window (Muharram). FAAN designates dedicated Hajj-terminal handling at MMA1 during the operational weeks.
Umrah year-round traffic flows mostly through Saudia, Egyptair, Royal Air Maroc, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air Peace with the Saudi Umrah eVisa or the Umrah-package tour visa.
Lounges and airside services
The lounge ecosystem at MMA1 in 2026 includes:
- The Wing Lounge — Priority Pass and DragonPass accepted, day-pass available
- Apron Lounge — paid access plus oneworld and SkyTeam status
- Air Peace Lounge — for Air Peace Business and First
- British Airways Lounge — oneworld Sapphire and Emerald
- Lufthansa-style partner lounge — Star Alliance Gold and Lufthansa Business
Day-pass rates in 2026 fall in the USD 35-55 band for pay-in options.
MMA2 has its own SLOW-equivalent domestic-airside lounge (Domestic Wing) operated by Bi-Courtney for premium domestic ticket holders.
Ground transport — Lagos to LOS in 2026
The drive from LOS to Lagos Island, Victoria Island or Lekki takes 45-90 minutes off-peak and routinely 2-4 hours during evening rush. Recommended options:
- Pre-booked hotel transfer — most Ikeja, Victoria Island and Lekki hotels offer airport pickup
- Uber and Bolt — both operate at LOS; expect NGN 12,000-25,000 to Victoria Island depending on traffic
- Lagos State Airport Cab — official metered service from the FAAN-designated rank
- Sheraton, Lagos Continental Ikeja and Radisson Blu Anchorage shuttles for airport-area hotel guests
The Lagos Light Rail Blue Line, opened in 2023, does not yet connect to the airport in 2026; the Red Line phase that includes the airport spur is under construction.
Diaspora baggage and West African allowances
Air Peace, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa, KLM and Air France each operate Nigerian-specific baggage policies on the LOS routes that exceed their standard global allowance. The 2026 picture:
- Air Peace international: 2 × 23 kg checked + 1 × 7 kg cabin on Economy, with 32 kg/piece in Business; LOS-LHR and LOS-DXB routes
- British Airways World Traveller (Economy): 1 × 23 kg checked LHR-LOS; the Nigerian-resident allowance does not include the second piece without paid upgrade
- Delta Comfort/Main: 2 × 23 kg checked on the ATL-LOS direct
- Lufthansa Economy Light vs Economy Classic: Light is hand-luggage only; Classic includes 1 × 23 kg checked; African corridor Economy Plus adds a second 23 kg piece for selected routes
- KLM Economy Standard: 1 × 23 kg + 1 × 12 kg cabin on LOS-AMS; the Africa-corridor heritage allowance varies by booking class
- Air France Economy Standard: similar 1 × 23 kg baseline on LOS-CDG; check booking class
- Emirates Economy Special vs Saver vs Flex: tiered allowance with 30 kg total on Special and 35 kg on Saver/Flex from Africa
Diaspora travellers carrying gifts and trade goods routinely exceed allowance. Excess baggage fees on Lufthansa and Air France at LOS are punitive (USD 100-200 per excess piece); pre-purchase via the airline website saves 30-50%. Air Peace and Delta tend to be more accommodating on overweight but enforce piece counts strictly.
Practical pre-departure checklist for LOS
For travellers departing LOS, the most common avoidable mistakes are:
- Arriving too late. FAAN recommends 4 hours before international departure. Peak morning departures (the European 11:00-13:00 bank) routinely produce 90-minute check-in and security queues.
- Wrong terminal arrival. Self-connecting between MMA2 (domestic) and MMA1 (international) requires landside transit with at least 2.5 hours connection. Carriers do not interline between Air Peace Domestic and most international carriers.
- Yellow-fever certificate omission. Required for all outbound and inbound flights; carriers refuse boarding without it.
- Currency declaration. Cash exceeding USD 10,000 must be declared on the CERPAC currency form on both departure and arrival; under-declaration is liable to seizure.
- eTM (Electronic Travel Manifest) fee disputes. A USD 10 ETM service charge is collected by some carriers on departure; this is a legitimate FAAN-mandated levy, not a scam.
Sources
- Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Airport profiles
- Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Regulatory framework
- Nigeria Customs Service, Traveller information
- Nigeria Immigration Service, Visa and entry policies
- National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Pilgrim operations
- Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, MMA2 operator