Federal Govt to deploy pax, baggage tracking technology at airports .....Urges FAAN, NCAA, airlines to adopt system

 Federal Govt to deploy pax, baggage tracking technology at airports 

.....Urges FAAN, NCAA, airlines to adopt system

The Federal Government has concluded plans to deploy the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), technology at airports terminals to bolster the tracking of flight status, whether delayed /cancelled,  luggage handling/ mis- routing and other procedures  associated with the travel process.

The new move is part of efforts by the government to implement new smart traveling measures already gaining traction in the global air transport ecosystem.

Disclosing this yesterday at a training programme at the Nigeria Civil Aviation (NCAA) Annex in Lagos, its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu said the Federal Government is committed to ensure that the airport authority, ground handling companies and airlines plug into the new system.

He said the new arrangement will leverage the RFID system provide automated baggage tracking from check-in through loading and arrival.

Achimugu said through partnership with a vendor : Aviation 360 Solutions, put together by Slim Autos and Medds Global Limited, the technology will  tackle baggage losses, misrouting and delays that contribute to passenger complaints and flight disruptions. 

 Achimugu said baggage problems remain among the industry’s most persistent passenger complaints.

According to the NCAA Director , RFID would allow passengers to monitor their bags through a dedicated application. Travellers could see whether their baggage had left check-in, reached sorting, arrived at the boarding area or been loaded onto the correct aircraft.
The system could also reduce misrouted baggage by identifying bags being processed for the wrong destination. A Lagos-to-Kano bag, for example, could be flagged before it is loaded onto another flight, giving operators an opportunity to correct the error.
Achimugu said RFID could also transform the way airlines investigate baggage complaints. Under existing arrangements, domestic airlines can have up to seven days to locate and reconcile missing baggage with passengers.

He said with  real-time tracking, however, airlines could identify the last recorded location of a bag much faster. 

“If you have landed in Lagos, but your bag is in Enugu, for instance, you can tell the airline specifically where your bag is, The system would therefore create a digital trail across the baggage chain. That could reduce investigation time while improving accountability among airlines, ground handlers and airport operators."
The NCAA  Director stressed that the system is not yet operational. Discussions with airlines are already underway, particularly around integration with different Passenger Service Systems and Departure Control Systems.
Achimugu said regulatory changes were also being considered to potentially make baggage automation mandatory. 

He stressed that implementation would require cooperation because the NCAA does not own airport infrastructure.

 He said the issue has attracted attention from the Presidency, the Ombudsman and other stakeholders because passengers frequently deal with bags that are short-landed, missing, delayed or damaged.
“For many years now, one of the biggest complaints in the industry has been that of baggage. The NCAA is taking more than a passing interest in this matter. 

He explained that technology must now play a stronger role in improving baggage handling and passenger confidence.

The NCAA  Director stressed that the system is not yet operational. Discussions with airlines are already underway, particularly around integration with different Passenger Service Systems and Departure Control Systems.
Achimugu said regulatory changes were also being considered to potentially make baggage automation mandatory. He stressed that implementation would require cooperation because the NCAA does not own airport infrastructure.
He said : "The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) owns and manages the relevant airport infrastructure, while airlines, ground handlers and other service providers control different parts of the baggage process. Therefore, the NCAA wants all stakeholders involved before implementation begins.
The authority expects the project to commence within 2026."
While stakeholders broadly welcomed RFID, airlines raised concerns about integration, human error, equipment, infrastructure and costs.
One major question focused on how the platform would communicate with different airline systems. Aviation 360 Solutions said its technology would integrate with existing systems and capture baggage information from check-in through subsequent processing points.

Stakeholders also questioned whether technology could completely eliminate human error. 

They noted that a wrongly identified bag could still be physically placed on the wrong aircraft.
In response, Aviation 360 Solutions Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer, Mathias Itua, said multiple scanning points would create a detailed movement record. Bags would be scanned during sorting and again around the loading process, making it easier to establish where a process failed.
The vendor  also addressed possible RFID tag failures. It said a fallback mechanism would remain available where RFID tags could not be read, with existing barcode processes continuing to provide backup.
Airlines also questioned whether adopting RFID would require major investment in new tags, printers and other equipment. Aviation 360 Solutions said RFID tags would form part of the new baggage handling process.
However, airline representatives stressed that integration must cover printers, baggage systems and other equipment. They also sought clarity on who would bear the cost and what financial obligations would fall on carriers.
One airline representative described the technology as necessary for improving service quality but warned that Nigeria’s infrastructure could determine its success. He also raised concerns about supply chains, replacement materials and procurement lead times.
According to  Aviation 360 Solutions promoter and Chief Executive Officer of  Slim Autos Limited  ,  Itua, the project would provide the scanning equipment and supporting infrastructure required for implementation.
Itua explained that fixed and handheld RFID readers would be deployed at strategic points. These would include check-in, sorting, transfer areas, aircraft loading and unloading points, and baggage reclaim.
Itua said : "The platform would combine RFID tags, readers, middleware and system integration with a passenger-facing mobile application. The application would provide flight information, luggage and cargo tracking, milestone notifications and a channel for escalating unresolved complaints to the NCAA after engagement with the airline.
The company said the system could be deployed progressively without replacing every existing baggage facility. RFID readers can be introduced at critical points while existing infrastructure remains operational, allowing airports to expand coverage over time.

"The approach also aligns with international baggage-tracking practices. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says baggage tracking at key points improves traceability and helps reduce mishandling.
"For Nigerian passengers, the biggest change could be visibility. Instead of waiting at an airline desk to discover where a missing bag went, travellers could receive information directly through the application.
"That could mean faster problem detection, quicker resolution, greater transparency, time savings, stronger passenger-rights enforcement, improved accessibility, better cargo visibility and wider aviation modernisation.
"Those eight benefits make RFID more than a baggage technology. If implementation is properly coordinated, it could become an important step towards smarter Nigerian airports and fewer baggage-related flight disruptions."

Also speaking, General Manager, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN), Mr, Enyinna Onyeukwu, the the new technology is part of the new measures the authority is putting together to make air travel seamless.

While commending the NCAA for driving the partnership and adoption by other players in the ecosystem, the FAAN official said the technology will enable both the airlines and others to improve the travel experience.

He said : "FAAN was preparing to introduce this to the airports, it is a laudable project driven by technology, which is making Nigeria switch into the global best practice."