The domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Thursday witnessed long queues of passengers travelling out of the city for the Eid-el-Fitri celebration.
All the counters of the airlines witnessed queues as passengers scrambled to buy tickets., while the General Aviation Terminal of the airport was also crowded with passengers waiting to board planes.
An employee of IRS Airline, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that there was a huge increase in the number of passengers travelling to Abuja and Kano.
“As I speak with you now, all our flights are fully booked. I have just finished doing some bookings.
“For tomorrow, all the afternoon and evening schedules have been fully booked. There is a great rush for seats. This is a good period for us, “ he said.
He said that the increase in passenger traffic was not unexpected since most of the people were Muslims.
A DANA Airline attendant, who simply gave his name as Mathew, said that more passengers were likely to travel later in the day.
He said that all the seats on flights to Abuja and Kano had been booked, saying that the airline might be forced to increase flights to the two cities during the festive period.
He, however, noted that the long queues of passengers had not affected the fares.
An Abuja-bound passenger, Mr Idris Danladi, said that he was travelling with his family to celebrate the festival with other members of his extended family in Kano.
“This is one opportunity to express love to other members of my family resident in Kano, “ he said.
Alhaja Fatimat Sadiq, who was travelling to Kaduna, said that the holidays would not be complete if she spent it without seeing her parents in Zaria.
‘`This is the time my children and I are free to celebrate with my parents.”I have my business at Ikoyi and find it difficult to leave the place during regular working days, “ she said.
Air fare from Lagos to Abuja varied, as DANA, Arik and Chachangi charged N15, 500, N27, 000 and N14, 000 respectively.
