What you actually see arriving at Freetown Lungi International Airport's new terminal — and how to get to a bed in Lungi town in under 15 minutes. Honest local guide.
I run a small homestay about five minutes' drive from Freetown Lungi International Airport (FNA). Most weeks I'm doing pickups at odd hours — 2am Brussels Airlines arrivals, 4am Air Peace, the occasional Kenya Airways turn. So I've been through the new passenger terminal more times than I can count since it opened in March 2023.
This piece is for the traveller who's landing in Lungi for the first time and wants to know what actually happens between stepping off the jet bridge and getting into a bed. Not what the brochure says — what the building feels like at 1am when you're tired and a bit disoriented.
What the new terminal actually is
The new terminal was built by Summa, a Turkish construction group, under a build-operate-transfer deal with the Government of Sierra Leone. It replaced the old colonial-era terminal that anyone who flew into Salone before 2023 will remember — narrow, hot, and famously slow at immigration. The new building is roughly 50,000 square metres according to the official airport authority, and it's designed for around 1 million passengers a year. You can read the official background on the Freetown International Airport site.
Honest take: it is a genuinely modern airport now. Air conditioning works. Floors are polished. There are jet bridges — actual jet bridges — so you don't walk across the tarmac in the rain anymore (though some smaller aircraft still park remote and bus you in). The visual jump from the old terminal is enormous.
What you see when you land
Here's the sequence, in order, as of late 2024:
- Off the aircraft — Either a jet bridge straight in, or a short bus ride to the terminal door. Both lead to the same upper-level corridor.
- Health screening desk — This used to be a yellow fever card check plus COVID questions. As of my last few pickups it's a quick yellow fever certificate glance. Bring your yellow fever card. Sierra Leone requires it and the new terminal does check. See the CDC Sierra Leone travel page for the current entry health requirements.
- Immigration — Multiple counters, much faster than the old hall. Have your visa (or your e-visa printout), your passport, and your arrival card filled in. If you didn't get an arrival card on the plane, there are forms at the desks.
- Baggage claim — Two belts. They work. Bags usually start arriving 15-25 minutes after landing in my experience.
- Customs — Green/red channel. Most tourists walk through green. If you're bringing large electronics or commercial quantities of anything, declare.
- Arrivals hall — Open, well-lit, with SIM card kiosks (Orange and Africell), a couple of cafes, money changers, and the rideshare/taxi desks.
Things that catch people off-guard
- The visa-on-arrival rules have tightened. Most nationalities now need an e-visa arranged before flying. Don't assume you can just land. Check the official Sierra Leone e-visa portal before you book.
- Cash on arrival. Bring some USD or EUR small bills. The ATMs in the terminal are inconsistent — sometimes empty, sometimes offline. Money changers at the arrivals hall give a fair enough rate for a first day's worth of Leones.
- SIM cards. Both Orange and Africell sell tourist SIMs right in the arrivals hall. Bring your passport for registration. A SIM with a few GB of data is around 100-200 NLe last I checked, but prices shift — confirm at the kiosk.
- The sea crossing question. The airport is on Lungi peninsula. Freetown city is across an estuary. To get to Freetown you need a water taxi (Sea Coach Express, Sea Bird), a hovercraft, or the ferry. None of these run 24 hours. If you land late, you sleep in Lungi.
Why a Lungi-side bed makes sense for many travellers
I'll be upfront — I run a homestay, so I'm biased. But the maths is straightforward:
- If your flight lands after about 8pm, the water taxis to Freetown have stopped or are about to. You'll be paying premium for a chartered crossing or waiting until morning anyway.
- If your onward flight is early morning (and many Brussels/Air France/KLM connections depart at uncivilised hours), staying in Freetown means a 4am water taxi back across — expensive and stressful.
- A Lungi-side room means a 5-10 minute drive from the terminal door to a bed. You unpack, shower, sleep.
Freetown is absolutely worth visiting — beaches, hills, the markets, Bunce Island history. But for a transit night or an early departure, Lungi side is the practical choice. Stay in Freetown when you have a full day on either side of the crossing.
Getting from the terminal to Lungi town
Walk out of arrivals. You'll see the taxi line on your right. A short ride into Lungi town proper (the strip where most guesthouses and homestays are) is usually 50-100 NLe depending on the time and your negotiation. Agree the price before you get in.
If you've pre-booked accommodation, ask the host to send a driver. Most of us in Lungi do free or low-cost pickups for confirmed guests because we're literally minutes away and the alternative is you arguing with a taxi driver at 2am after 14 hours of flying. It's better for everyone.
What's still rough around the edges
I want to be fair — the terminal is good, but it's not Singapore Changi:
- Wi-Fi is patchy. Don't count on it for important messages.
- Food options post-immigration are limited. Eat on the plane or wait until you reach your accommodation.
- Power has cut during my pickups a few times — generators kick in, but lifts briefly stop. Not a disaster, just a moment.
- Signage in some corridors is sparse. Follow the crowd from your flight; you'll be fine.
- Departures security can be slow during peak European-bound waves (late evening). Arrive 2.5-3 hours before international departures.
A short word for fellow operators
If you're another guesthouse or homestay person in Lungi reading this: the new terminal is changing guest expectations. People landing here have just walked through a building that looks like any other modern African airport. They're going to notice if our linens are tired or our wifi is dead. The bar has moved. Worth a thought.
If you have questions about arrival logistics, want a pickup, or are an operator thinking through your own booking page, the start page below has my contact.
On the KESARI network
- yogistay.com — Lungi homestay + airport-hotel; free booking-page consultation
- salonekart.com — Sierra Leone e-commerce + delivery + remittance
- globe2me.com — Sierra Leone travel, visa, expat & business guides
- otatts.com — Curated India tours (Gujarat / Rajasthan / spiritual circuit)
- aumkampan.space — Vedic study, meditation, Sanskrit
