FAAN, IATA collaborate to improve aviation, passenger experience

Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has called on enhanced collaboration between the authority and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to strengthen and promote the sustainable growth of Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Kuku said this when the Vice-President for Africa and Kamil Alawadhi, the Middle East of IATA, paid a courtesy visit to the FAAN MD/CE on October 15th 2024 at the FAAN Headquarters in Lagos.

Alawadhi led a five-man delegation of senior IATA officers, which included Samson Fatokun, the Area Manager for West & Central Africa; Kashif Khan, Director of Operations, Safety and Security for Africa and the Middle East; Mamadou Guebre, the Regional Manager, Customer Experience & Passenger Facilitation, and Jennifer (Aisha) Yeates, Assistant Director Operational Safety at IATA Africa and Middle East (AME).

Alawadhi acknowledged the present administration’s significant improvements made at Nigerian airports and praised FAAN’s commitment to maintaining high standards of safety, security, and passenger experience.

He underscored the importance of leveraging technology to upgrade security processes, such as checkpoint management, and expressed IATA’s interest in collaborating with FAAN on these initiatives.

He highlighted IATA’s preference for utilising digital solutions to enhance passenger facilitation and improve information sharing between various agencies at the airport, which would contribute to operational efficiency and overall improved passenger experience.

In her response, Kuku emphasised that the continuous improvement of security protocols is a top priority for FAAN under her leadership, particularly in an evolving global aviation landscape where safety is paramount.

She explained FAAN’s determination to adopt advanced security technologies and processes that protect passengers and streamline their airport experience while adding that FAAN is focused on making the airports more passenger-centric by improving customer service, eliminating complex check-in procedures, thereby reducing passenger facilitation time, and enhancing airport facilities.