FAAN tightens airport transport rules as passenger safety conce

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has defended its efforts to tighten passenger protection around airport transportation, saying its overriding responsibility is to ensure that travellers using airport roads can identify who is conveying them and enjoy a safe and seamless journey.

FAAN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Olubunmi Kuku, stated this at the Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame event in Lagos, where aviation veterans and professionals were honoured for their contributions to the development of Nigeria’s air transport industry.

Kuku, while declining to comment specifically on Uber’s exit from Nigeria, said FAAN’s responsibility was not to determine the commercial decisions of e-hailing companies but to respond to passenger-safety concerns arising from transportation services operating around the airports.

“I work for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and my responsibility, first, is to ensure that our passengers are safe, they’re protected, and they have a seamless passenger experience,” she said.

According to her, FAAN had received complaints from passengers about experiences with some e-hailing and airport car-hire services, particularly during the December holiday period.

She said some reported incidents involved intimidation, passengers being dropped at unintended locations and other serious situations that raised concerns about the safety of travellers leaving or arriving at the airport.

Kuku also disclosed that FAAN had encountered situations in which some e-hailing drivers allegedly got out of their vehicles under the guise of accessing the airport as e-hailing operators and subsequently joined the airport car-hire system to charge passengers higher fares.

She said the development contributed to concerns about touting and the need for greater visibility and control over vehicles operating within the airport environment.

Against that background, FAAN introduced an application designed to give passengers greater visibility into the identity of the driver conveying them and the company operating the vehicle.

Kuku explained that the system was intended primarily as a passenger-safety and identification mechanism, rather than a revenue-generating platform for FAAN.

She said the authority does not collect fares on behalf of the drivers or operate the car-hire businesses, but provides passengers with indicative rates based on their destinations.

“The app that was developed was strictly to focus on the fact that you have visibility on who the car hire companies are, you know who the driver that is taking you from Point A to Point B is,” she said.

She added that passengers remained free to choose between pre-booked vehicles, e-hailing platforms and airport car-hire services.

Kuku said airport car-hire operators traditionally charge higher fares because their business model involves transporting passengers from the airport to their destinations and returning to the airport, rather than operating continuously across the city.

However, she stressed that FAAN’s jurisdiction was centred on safety and visibility within its airport environment.

“The only thing that I have a responsibility to do is to ensure that you have visibility over who is driving you and those within our airport,” she said.

One of the major difficulties FAAN had encountered with e-hailing companies, she disclosed, was the question of liability and responsibility for drivers.

According to Kuku, e-hailing operators sought dedicated passenger pick-up areas at airports, which FAAN was willing to provide, but the authority also wanted the companies to accept responsibility for the conduct and safety of drivers using their platforms.

She said the companies maintained that the drivers were independent operators rather than their direct employees, creating a gap over who would ultimately bear responsibility when safety concerns arose.

Kuku said the companies instead directed passengers towards the safety features built into their applications, an approach that FAAN regarded as insufficient for the airport environment.

The dispute highlights a wider challenge for modern airport management as digital mobility platforms increasingly compete with conventional airport transport operators.

For passengers, the issue is no longer simply the cost of getting from the airport to their destination. It also involves the identity of the driver, the accountability of the operating company, designated pick-up areas and what happens when something goes wrong.

The FAAN position therefore places passenger protection ahead of convenience where the two come into conflict, particularly within an airport environment where security and accountability are central operational requirements.

The comments came against the backdrop of the Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame ceremony, organised by aviation journalists Wole Shadare and Gboyega Adeoye, which recognised veterans and serving professionals for their contributions to the industry.

Kuku’s position underscores the broader evolution of Nigeria’s airport system, where passenger experience is increasingly being measured not only by terminal facilities and flight operations but also by the safety and reliability of the journey that begins or ends outside the terminal.