British Airways has opened a renovated luxurious lounge at Lagos Airport for passengers connecting its passengers to global destinations.
The new facility is a fallout of significant investment, where the British airline created zones throughout the 360 square metres of space to cater to different passengers’ needs.
The opening of the facility came on the heels of a six-month refurbishment.
The space for the facility, the carrier said, has been cleverly designed to give customers more room to enjoy an upgraded food and beverage experience.
Speaking on the benefits of the facility, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku described it as a good infrastructure to improve customer experience.
She said: “I would say that coming in here today and experiencing this new lounge with British Airways in partnership with STS clearly demonstrates the development that British Airways is bringing to Nigeria. More importantly in line with our guidelines for customer experience being a priority. I walked around the lounge and I asked very simple questions of which I got very remarkable answers. A lot of the work that was done in the lounge today was done in collaboration with Nigerian entrepreneurs. You heard about the collaboration with the gallery, a lot of the woodwork, the furniture are all by Nigerian entrepreneurs so they definitely make me proud. I also looked at the cuisine that they are serving as well as the experience.”
“There are very few things that are important to us, each area has a charging section, there are rest areas, and wheelchair accessibility, as well as making sure that passengers with disabilities are catered for. I do notice that they also have a rest area as well as showers. I will definitely say that this experience is comparable to all global locations where British Airways has a first-class lounge. I’m extremely proud of them and I’m hoping that we see more collaboration and better expansion as we go along.”
The airline said the facility will also allow passengers to relax, dine or work in a premium space, while also proudly exhibiting local art from Akoje Gallery.
British Airways said passengers will be transported into a new contemporary lounge as soon as they pass through the grand entrance with floor-to-ceiling glass.
It said: “For those who want to dine ahead of the evening flight to London, there is a self-serve dining area with a wide selection of freshly made dishes. The food and drink menu offers a range of Nigerian classics and British-inspired dishes which will change regularly.
“Customers can also pull up a chair at a newly built bar where a bartender will serve drinks including cocktails, wine, and soft drinks.
“To commemorate British Airways’ strong association with Nigeria, art from local artists will be displayed across the lounge. The airline has launched a partnership with Akoje Gallery – founded by Maro Itoje and Khalil Akar – to curate an innovative new in-lounge exhibition featuring and celebrating guest artists. The first showcase of works is themed ‘New Beginnings’ to celebrate the lounge opening.
“The newly imagined lounge space features a quiet room with day beds, while the main area features relaxing comfy sofas and clusters of tables and chairs. Customers needing to work can take advantage of new printing facilities.”
Speaking about the facility, British Airways Chief Customer Officer, Calum Laming, said: “We’re focused on investing in the entire customer journey, not just on board. For many of our customers, lounges are an important part of their experience, and the re-design of our Lagos lounge is a key part of our transformation strategy across our lounges around the world.
“We’re delighted to open our doors to this stunning lounge in Lagos and we’re confident customers will enjoy spending time in this cleverly created space.”
The lounge is open to customers traveling in Club World (business) and first, as well as Silver and Gold Executive Club Members.
Also speaking, an official of The Akoje Gallery, Khalil Akar, added: “We are honoured to partner with British Airways and give local Nigerian artists the chance to showcase their talents in the brand-new Lagos Lounge. We hope British Airways passengers enjoy the immersion in Nigerian culture and the artists’ contribution to their local art community.”
In his comment, British Airways Head of Sales for Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, Juan Pedro said: “I’m delighted to be here today to open this new lounge. Lagos is an incredibly important city for us, we want to elevate the customer service even more. This lounge is a brand new open space with seating for 110 customers, we have a new food offering, we have a hot buffet, and a quiet room that allows our customers who want to just relax or take a nap before their flight to do so.
“We have shower facilities and we have something bespoke, our customers will be able to enjoy champagne and a selection of champagne selections. British Airways is upgrading a big part of that is focusing on customer experience. Lagos is an incredible city for us so we must look at the facilities that we have over here and see how we can make it better.
“In particular with lounges, it’s something that we are looking at very seriously, we just refreshed all our lounges in Heathrow and we opened an incredible new lounge. Next year we will be launching some new lounges in both Miami and Dubai. It’s part of the transformation program that we are trying to achieve by elevating the customer experience.
“We are looking at everything that we can offer our customers here in Nigeria. I’m glad that we can offer two flights every day into Nigeria. One from Lagos and Abuja.
“Customer service is very good and to get benefits from London and the United States. Like I said we are currently reviewing our facilities and seeing how we can make them even better. “
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