Evaluation of Service Quality and Passenger Perception at Murtala Mohammed International Airport Terminals I and II

Abstract

Airport terminals play a central role in shaping passenger experience, yet limited evidence exists on terminal specific service quality differences within Nigerian airports. This study compared service quality and passenger satisfaction between Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Terminals I and II using the SERVQUAL framework. A structured questionnaire was administered to 400 passengers, of which 384 valid responses (96.0%) were analysed. Service quality was evaluated across reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and responsiveness using the two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, while passenger satisfaction was examined using the Pearson Chi-Square test. The study introduces a terminal level assessment of service quality at MMIA, providing evidence often overlooked in airport level evaluations. The findings showed that Terminal II consistently outperformed Terminal I across most service dimensions. Overall passenger satisfaction was substantially higher at Terminal II, where 66.7% of passengers were satisfied or strongly satisfied, compared with 37.0% at Terminal I. Conversely, dissatisfaction was considerably higher at Terminal I (63.0%) than at Terminal II (33.4%). Significant differences were observed across the five SERVQUAL dimensions, and the Pearson Chi-Square test confirmed that passenger satisfaction differed significantly between the two terminals (χ² = 35.607, df = 3, p < 0.001). The results demonstrate that variations in infrastructure quality, operational reliability, and staff service significantly influence passenger experience. The study provides terminal specific evidence to support targeted investments in Terminal I, strengthen service delivery, improve operational efficiency, enhance passenger satisfaction, and improve the overall competitiveness of MMIA.