- Main airport
- Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS), Ikeja
- Runways
- 3,900 m and 2,742 m
- Regional
- Accra 216 nm, Port Harcourt 236 nm, Abuja 276 nm
- Long-haul
- London about 2,700 nm, Dubai about 3,170 nm
- Regulator
- Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
Last reviewed
Flying privately from Murtala Muhammed International
Murtala Muhammed International Airport is in Ikeja on the Lagos mainland. It has two parallel runways, of 3,900 m and 2,742 m, long enough for any business jet or VIP airliner, and separate international and domestic terminals. Private aircraft use business aviation facilities run by handlers including ExecuJet and Evergreen Apple Nigeria, each with its own terminal and apron space.
Trip support reports for Lagos note that customs and immigration can be completed at the handler's facility, rather than in the main terminal, with international passengers processed around the clock. That is usually the quickest way through the airport, and it is how we arrange arrivals and departures for our clients. For longer stays, aircraft parking should be agreed with the handler in advance.
Our Lagos office
Oryx Global Aviation is headquartered in London and has a West African office in Lagos: Oryx G.A. Marketing Nig. Ltd, our official country office and sales representative, in Ikoyi. Clients in Nigeria deal with a local team in their own time zone, backed by the same worldwide network of vetted operators and 24/7 operations cover as our London desk.
Regional and long-haul routes from Lagos
Distances below are great-circle figures from Murtala Muhammed, calculated from published airport coordinates. Flight times assume normal cruise speeds and no wind; long-haul routings across the Sahara and the Middle East can add distance depending on airspace and permits.
| Destination | Distance | Suitable aircraft | Approximate flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accra Kotoka (ACC) | 216 nm (401 km) | Turboprop or light jet and larger | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Port Harcourt (PHC) | 236 nm (437 km) | Turboprop or light jet and larger | 50 minutes to 1 hour |
| Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe (ABV) | 276 nm (511 km) | Turboprop or light jet and larger | 50 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes |
| Johannesburg O.R. Tambo (JNB) | 2,443 nm (4,524 km) | Super-midsize or larger nonstop | About 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes |
| London (Farnborough or Heathrow) | 2,691 to 2,702 nm (about 5,000 km) | Super-midsize or larger nonstop | About 6 to 7 hours |
| Dubai Al Maktoum (DWC) | 3,169 nm (5,868 km) | Heavy jet nonstop; super-midsize only with light loads | About 7 to 8 hours |
Choosing an aircraft for Nigerian and West African trips
The short domestic and regional sectors, Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt or Accra, are all under 300 nm. A light jet or turboprop does them easily, and a midsize jet adds cabin height and luggage room for a day trip with meetings at both ends. Multi-stop days, for example Lagos to Abuja to Port Harcourt and back, are common and can be planned as one itinerary on a single aircraft.
London is about 2,700 nm from Lagos, the same as the published 2,700 nm maximum range of a midsize jet such as the Citation Latitude, so once real loads, winds and reserves are applied a midsize aircraft stops en route. A super-midsize such as the Challenger 3500 (3,400 nm) or Citation Longitude (3,500 nm) can usually fly it nonstop. Dubai, at about 3,170 nm, is a heavy jet route for a full cabin. Johannesburg, at about 2,440 nm, is within super-midsize range and marginal for midsize jets with passengers on board.
Permits and regulation in Nigeria
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) regulates civil aviation, and landing permits for foreign aircraft are handled by the NCAA and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). Aircraft not registered in Nigeria need a landing permit for every flight into the country, and the documents required include the aircraft's registration, airworthiness and insurance certificates and crew licences. Trip support guidance is to apply about 48 hours ahead; permits can sometimes be issued at 24 hours' notice at the authorities' discretion, and the permit office has been reported to close from Friday evening until Monday morning. A same-day international arrival into Lagos is therefore difficult, so we start the application as soon as a trip is confirmed and allow extra time ahead of weekends and public holidays.
For charter, the NCAA has warned the public that only holders of an Air Transport Licence or Airline Operating Permit with a valid Air Operator Certificate may sell charter flights, and in 2024 it suspended the Permits for Non-Commercial Flights of operators using private aircraft for paid charters. It is worth confirming that the specific aircraft is listed for commercial use on the operator's certificate; we work only with vetted operators and check this before booking.
Indicative cost
As a rough guide, multiply the flight time by an indicative hourly rate from our cost guide: about £1,100 to £2,500 per flight hour for turboprops, £1,500 to £4,500 for very light and light jets, £3,000 to £7,000 for midsize and super-midsize, £5,000 to £11,000 for heavy jets and £7,000 to £16,000 for ultra-long-range aircraft. A one-hour light jet hop to Abuja works out at about £1,500 to £4,500 of flight time, while a super-midsize flight of about six and a half hours to London comes to roughly £19,500 to £45,500.
These figures exclude fees, permits and taxes. Positioning has a large effect in West Africa: if no suitable aircraft is based in Lagos on the day, the cost of bringing one in is part of the price, and the same applies to the empty return on a one-way trip.