A couple of years ago, tourists and locals who come into or leave the country via aircraft shared a mutual complaint which was the scarcity of international airports in Nigeria. The inconvenience of traveling from one airport to another before getting to one that has international facilities is an ordeal a few can manage. So, it became a necessity to erect more standard international airports and the government has done tremendously well to build fully functional airports that have destinations to different parts of the globe.
All The International Airports In Nigeria & Their Locations
There are 11 international airports in Nigeria and they are located in different parts of the country. These terminals are usually larger than domestic airports and have longer runways, as well as other facilities to adequately cater to the needs of international flights. Here is is the list of these 11 international airports:
1. Port Harcourt International Airport
- Location: Omagwa, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
- Airport Code: (IATA: PHC, ICAO: DNPO)
- Year of Remodeled: 2006
- Number of Terminals: 2 (International and Domestic Terminals)
- Number of Passengers Served: More than 1 million
- Available International Airlines & Their Destinations:
| Passenger Airline | Destination |
| Africa’s Connection STP | Sao Tome |
| Air France | Paris-Charles De Gaulle |
| Cronos Airlines | Accra, Malabo |
| Lufthansa | Abuja, Frankfurt |
| Turkis Airlines | Instanbul |
The Port Harcourt International Airport is one of the popular routes many travelers turn to whether they are coming into Nigeria or traveling out of the country. As a result of this, it has witnessed a huge influx of passengers over the years and as of now, the airport has served more than a million travelers. More so, on the 25th of October 2018, the new international terminal at the airport was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari and this has further boosted its activities.
However, this airport is also known to have recorded very tragic incidents over the years which include the fatal Sosoliso plane crash in 2005 which claimed the lives of more than a hundred persons. There was also another incident of an Air Peace plane going off the runway sometime in 2019 but fortunately, there were no casualties.
2. Akanu Ibiam International Airport
Location: Emene, Enugu State, Nigeria
Airport code: (IATA: ENU, ICAO: DNEN)
Year It Was Remodeled: 2010
Terminals: 2 (International and Domestic terminals)
Number of Passengers Served: More than 352,820
Available International Airlines & Their Destinations:
| Passenger Airline | Destination |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa |
This southeast airport got its name from the late Akanu Ibiam, a medical doctor and statesman from Afikpo, Ebonyi State. The airport is notable for serving numerous southeastern cities in Nigeria like Awka, Onitsha, Aba, Nsukka, some parts of Kogi, Cross River, and Benue amongst other places.
On February 10, 2010, the airport was closed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in order to commence renovations to make it a standard international airport – this was the first phase of renovation. It was then re-opened on the 16th of December 2010. By the year 2020, more renovations that came with improvements were launched at the international airport.
It is also worthy to note that the airport has witnessed tremendous improvements in its operations as the number of travelers using its terminals has increased over the years with only a slight drop in the figure according to statistics compiled by FAAN.
3. Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)
Location: Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria
Airport Code: (IATA: LOS, ICAO: DNMM)
Year It Was Remodeled: 1978
Terminals: 2 (International and Domestic terminals)
Number of Passengers Served: More than 5 million
Available International Airlines & Their Destinations:
| Passenger Airline | Destination |
| African Word Airlines | Accra |
| Air Côte d’Ivoire | Abidjan |
| Air France | Paris–Charles de Gaulle |
| Air Peace | Accra, Freetown, Johannesburg, Montego Bay (by Charter) |
| ASKY Airline | Lomé |
| British Airways | London–Heathrow |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, New York–JFK[20] |
| EgyptAir | Cairo |
| Emirates | Dubai–International |
| Virgin Atlantic | London-Heathrow |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul |
| TAAG Angola Airlines | Luanda |
| Rwandair | Kigali |
| Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Middle East Airlines | Beirut |
| Kenya Airways | Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta |
| KLM | Amsterdam |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa |
Murtala Muhammed International Airport was named after the past Nigeria Head of State General Murtala Muhammed who passed on in the year 1976. Prior to this time, the airport was known as the Lagos International Airport. The international airport terminal of MMIA WAS built and commissioned in 1978 but it began its official operation on March 15th, 1979.
Although the airport has undergone series of renovations since the 1970s, in 2013, following the launch of the federal government multi-billion naira Remodelling/ Rehabilitation Programme for its airports nationwide, there have been more intense renovations. In 2014, the lounge area had been expanded to four times its initial size, and new passenger handling conveyor systems were installed which can handle over 1,000 passengers per hour.
However, the airport has also faced its own share of air crises which include the death of more than 150 persons in November 1996 when an ADC Airlines Flight 86, a Boeing 727-231, crashed near Ejirin, Lagos. Another fatal accident was the 2005 Bellview Airlines Flight 210 incident which killed more than 100 persons on board.
4. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
Location: Bill Clinton Drive, Abuja, Nigeria
Airport Code: (IATA: ABV, ICAO: DNAA)
Year It Was Built: 2000
Terminals: 2
Number of Passengers Served: More than 4 million
Available International Flights & Their Destination:
| Passenger Airline | Destination |
| Africa World Airlines | Accra |
| Air Côte d’Ivoire | Abidjan |
| Air France | N’Djamena, Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
| ASKY Airlines | Lomé, N’Djamena, Yaoundé |
| British Airways | London-Heathrow |
| EgyptAir | Cairo |
| Emirates | Dubai-International |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa, Yaounde |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt |
| Med-View Airline | Jeddah |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| RwandAir | Accra, Kigali |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul |
Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport was built in the year 2000 but wasn’t opened for use until sometime in 2002. This foremost international airport was named after Nigeria’s first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe. Since its grand opening, the airport has witnessed a tremendous upsurge in its activities, and in 2018, it marked its highest activity rate of more than 31%. Moreso, there is no record of any fatal casualties in the airport since it began its operations as both an international and local facility.
5. Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport
Location: Lagos Rd, Kano
Airport Code: (IATA: KAN, ICAO: DNKN)
Year It Was Built: 1900s
Terminals: 2
Number of Passengers Served: More than 300,000
Available International Flights & Their Destination:
| Passenger Airline | Destination |
| Badr Airlines | Khartoum |
| Dornier Aviation Nigeria | Occasional charter to Jeddah |
| EgyptAir | Cairo |
| Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa |
| Eritrean Airlines | Asmara, Khartoum |
| Flynas | Jeddah |
| Kabo Air | Occasional charter to Jeddah |
| Max Air | Occasional charter to Jeddah |
| Saudia | Jeddah, Medina |
| Sudan Airways | Khartoum |
| Tarco Airlines | Khartoum |
| Tchadia Airlines | N’Djamena |
| Med-View Airline | Jeddah |
Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is the oldest in Nigeria and it was named after the Nigerian politician, Aminu Kano. History also has it that the first aircraft that landed in Nigeria was in Kano in the year 1922 but the airport started its operations in 1936. During the first decades of operation, it became a relevant fuel stop for airlines flying long-haul services between Europe and Africa. Unfortunately, newer aircraft did not need such fuel stops and, with the deteriorating state of the Kano economy in the late 20th century, many international airlines stopped serving the airport.
The airport is also known to have recorded a couple of fatal incidents with the earliest dated June 24th, 1956 when a BOAC 4-engine Canadair C-4 Argonaut airliner crashed while departing from Kano International Airport, killing 32 persons. Another plane crash that claimed the lives of 176 people happened on January 22nd, 1973, when an Alia Boeing 707-320C crashed while landing at the airport. More lives were also lost on May 4th, 2002, when EAS Airlines Flight 4226 crashed while taking off from the airport, killing 71 persons onboard and 78 persons on ground level.
7. Sadiq Abubakar 111 International Airport
Location: Sire, Sokoto
Airport Code: (IATA: SKO, ICAO: DNSO)
Year It Was Built: 1982
Terminals: 2
Number of Passengers Served: N/A
Available International Flights & Their Destination:
| Passenger Airline | Destination |
| Med-View Airlines | Occasional charter to Jeddah |
Sadiq Abubakar III International Airport which is also known as Sultan Saddik Abubakar Airport was actually named after the 17th Sultan of Sokoto who had ruled in the 1900s. It was commissioned on February 17th, 1982 and its international wing mainly serves Muslim pilgrims to Hajj.
Which Is The Biggest International Airport in Nigeria?
The popular Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) is not only known as the busiest airport in Nigeria but also the largest. The airport which is situated at an elevation point of 41 m has a runway that is more than 12 ft high.
MMIA also comes with various facilities to ease the stress off travelers. Some of these include very spacious lounges, shuttles to take passengers to their boarding units, various bureau de change outlets, and a parking space to accommodate more than 700 cars. The airport also has a section for medical facilities, as well as eateries amongst several other facilities.