Nigerian airports are currently undergoing a turnaround, occasioned by extensive improvement of infrastructure and effective leadership at the helm of affairs of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (F AAN), writes IME AKPAN.
Prior to 2011, Nigerian airports were derided and noted for long delays owing to many factors including security breaches, poor service delivery, archaic and dilapidated infrastructure. But the good news is that FAAN, under Engr. Saleh Dunoma as Managing Director, has taken steps to position the airports to rank among the best elsewhere.
Saleh, said in an interview that the ongoing make over at airports had been made possible by the efficient utilization of the Authority’s internally-generated revenue and the intervention of the Federal government. He said the aim is to strategically reposition the airports so as to make more meaningful contribution to the growth of Nigeria’s economy.
Airport security
Large numbers of people pass through airports every day. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime because of the number of people located in a particular location. Similarly, the high concentration of people on large airliners, the potential high death rate with attacks on aircraft, and the ability to use a hijacked aircraft as a lethal weapon may provide an alluring target for terrorism.
Airport security attempts to prevent any threats or potentially dangerous situations from arising or entering the country. If airport security does succeed in this, then the chances of any dangerous situations, illegal items or threats entering into aircraft, country or airport are greatly reduced.
To protect the airport and country from any threatening events, to reassure the traveling public that they are safe and to protect the country and their people, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has tightened security at all its 22 airports. Part of the effort includes installation of x-ray machines which would soon be completed and streamed.
According to FAAN, the sole objective is to ensure that every luggage coming into the terminal is screened before it is taken in. Countries that have suffered years of terrorism and other security threats adopted similar security measure at their airports. To further beef up security, FAAN plans to train about 700 aviation personnel to replenish manpower in that department.
Speaking at Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Regional Assembly hosted by Airport Company South Africa (ACSA) in Durban, South Africa, Dunoma announced that FAAN had improved security process across all its 22 airports owned through the installation of safety and security equipment.
He also said FAAN provided an effective platform that led to the successful fight against Ebola in Nigeria by coordinating screening processes.
Meanwhile, Dunoma said it had designed a detailed plan for the review of security architecture for airports nationwide. The new security plan includes the procurement of sophisticated counter terrorism gadgets and effective collaboration among security agencies.
FAAN deployed next generation security system at the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. It said the security system, known as ‘Advance Threat Identification X-Ray’, is located at nine different passenger checkpoints in the newly-expanded ‘D’ and ‘E’ departures halls of the terminal.
The system consisted of an explosives trace detector and high performance walk-through metal detectors to check passengers and their hand luggage for explosives, illegal weapons, contraband, narcotics and related items.
Airport certification
Without airport certification, experts say the pursuit of hub status will remain a mirage. But Dunoma said Nigeria would meet the 2015 deadline for airport certification set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), adding that the agency had in 2006 signed an undertaking with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to certify the country’s international airports.
He explained that based on the agreement, the country was able to scale through the ICAO Universal Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), saying that recently, FAAN set up a certification team, which visited some International airports to appraise the requirements for certification.
“Certification of aerodrome is a means of demonstrating that an organisation has implemented its quality management system appropriately, this includes a third party audit. Quality management at airports ensures safety, security, efficiency, and service, thereby stimulating air traffic and increasing profit.
“Certification of airports brings about achievement and maintenance of a higher standard level of safety, promotes standardisation and consistency of procedures and operations. Another requirement is airport facilitation, which requires the minimum time for passengers to complete all airport formalities for transit travels in line with global practices,” he said.
He also disclosed that the authority had been pursuing the certification of at least two international airports in line with ICAO requirements before the end of the year.
He listed the airports to include Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Experts said before an airport could get ICAO certification, it must have full fire cover with adequate fire fighting trucks and other equipment to handle emergencies. Such an airport is also expected to have a comprehensive airport security manual and programme tailored to fit into the standards and recommended practices of ICAO. In addition, the airport must have airport perimeter and security fencing.
Development of cargo airports
The managing director assured that FAAN would support any effort aimed at maximising the potentials in the country’s air cargo sector. Speaking recently at the Nigerian Air Cargo Summit organised by the Nigerian Aviation Handling Cargo (Nahco aviance) in Lagos, he said the quest to maximise these potentials had led to the remodelling of designated perishable cargo airports across the country.
“A recent IATA report suggested that cargo volumes are expected to grow by 4.5 percent in 2015, as compared to the time when air cargo business faced weak markets and increasing competition since 2011’’ he said and called on all private investors and stakeholders in the aviation industry to reach out and showcase the rich potentials of Nigeria to the world by keying into the opportunities available in the country’s air cargo industry.
“Some strategic airports in Nigeria e.g. Akure, Makurdi, Minna, Abuja, Owerri, Calabar, Ilorin, Jalingo, Jos, Uyo, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt have been designated fresh and dry cargo airports, for the direct exportation of fresh agricultural produce from surrounding local communities to markets in Europe, the United States of America and other countries across the world. Work has already started on some of these cargo terminals at some airports across the country,” he said.
Provision of fire cover
In the last one year, the authority has made efforts to address gaps in airport fire fighting requirement with the deployment of more fire tenders to major airport to back up the existing facilities.
Apart from the deployment of fire trucks, the authority is currently recruiting aviation security and fire fighting personnel to address the manpower gap in such areas.
“We have purchased fire tenders and distributed them to all airports across the country in order to beef up our fire fighting capacity. We have also entered into a maintenance agreement with the manufacturers of the fire tenders, so as to ensure that we optimise the life span and usage of these equipment. We have also trained our staff on the use of these new firefighting equipment to ensure they perform at optimal levels in the nearest future,” he said.
Service delivery
Analysts say if airport management takes a strategic and holistic approach to customer service and airport branding, customer satisfaction with the airport experience can be significantly improved and airport net revenues can be tracked to show a direct relationship with increased customer satisfaction.
To this end FAAN inaugurated a committee to review the FAAN’s SERVICOM integrated charter. The managing director said the review is meant to improve upon service delivery through the recently launched Aviation Commits Initiative aimed at repackaging, rebranding and redirecting the Aviation Industry in Nigeria towards enhanced service delivery and customer satisfaction.
He went on to explain that the review of FAAN SERVICOM Charter is intended “to display the promises upon which customers can expect quality service delivery; demand their rights to good service; have recourse when service delivery fails and actively be involved in the service delivery programme.”
In today’s environment of instant information, passengers expect to be constantly informed by connecting to a variety of sources whilst maintaining contact with their social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook.
Consequently, FAAN unveiled Passenger Service Portal unveiled for improved information between passengers, agencies and airlines. And after the launch, a significant record was set within a month as Twitter followers increased, from 29 to 28,439 while the number of Facebook followers moved from 683 to 72,108.
FAAN attributed the development to the positive response from airport users and the general public on the need to engage the social media, not only to communicate and receive up to date information about happenings in the industry, but also as a medium through which their grievances, inquiries, complaints and suggestions could be channelled to the appropriate aviation authorities for swift actions and feedback.