Keyamo Approves Design for Lagos Airport Monorail Project

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has approved the design for a proposed monorail project linking Ikeja Railway Station to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

Keyamo announced the development on Tuesday, October 20, following a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, and engineering teams from the ministry and the authority.

According to the minister, the proposed monorail will provide a direct rail connection between the Lagos Red Line terminus at Ikeja and the airport, offering passengers and commuters an alternative to road transportation.

The project will have five stations: Ikeja Station, Domestic Airport Station, Beesam Station, Toll Gate Station and Murtala Muhammed International Airport Station.

Keyamo said the monorail would terminate at the airport’s Terminal 1, which is currently undergoing reconstruction.

He described the rail connection as an integral part of the broader modernisation programme at Nigeria’s major international aviation gateway.

The project is expected to improve access to the airport, ease passenger movement and strengthen connections between the airport complex and the wider Lagos transport network.

The announcement follows earlier plans by the Federal Government to work with the Lagos State Government on extending the existing rail network from Ikeja to the airport’s domestic and international terminals.

On October 18, FAAN Managing Director Onabanjo-Kuku disclosed that discussions on financing the airport rail project were at an advanced stage. She said the planned connection would serve the airport’s three terminals and cargo facilities.

The proposed development is part of wider efforts to upgrade the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which handles a significant share of Nigeria’s air traffic.

However, the minister’s announcement did not specify when construction would begin or when the monorail would be completed.

The project’s implementation will depend on the progress of financing arrangements and other necessary development steps.

When completed, the rail link is expected to give air travellers and other commuters an additional transport option between Ikeja and the airport, potentially reducing reliance on road journeys.