Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport is located in Kano, the capital city of Kano State of Nigeria. It was a Royal Air Force station before the country became independent. It is the main airport serving northern Nigeria and was named after politician Aminu Kano. The airport consists of an international and a domestic terminal. The terminals share the same runway. Construction started on a new domestic terminal and was commissioned on 23 May 2011. In 2009, the airport handled 323,482 passengers.