The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has unveiled a sweeping set of reforms aimed at sanitising operations and improving passenger experience across Nigeria’s major airports.
The initiative, tagged “Operation Air Clean,” was introduced in response to recent concerns over touting, extortion, and begging at airport terminals issues described by Senator Osita Izunaso as a “national embarrassment.”
According to a position document titled “Measures to Address Corrupt Practices and Enhance Passenger Experience at MMIA and GAT” and signed by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, the new framework seeks to promote transparency and efficiency in airport operations.
The document, developed after an emergency meeting chaired by FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, outlines several key measures. These include the dissolution of joint inspection tables by security agencies, which will now be replaced with intelligence-driven passenger screening, camera-based monitoring, and individual profiling.
Under the new arrangement, the Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Immigration Service will share counters to ease passenger movement, while Nigeria Customs Service officers will operate from Aviation Security (AVSEC) screening points for money declaration purposes.
To enhance transparency, FAAN will introduce real-time display screens showing the names, agencies, and contact details of officers on duty during passenger screenings. Secondary screening for arriving passengers will also be moved to designated profiling rooms at Terminals 1 and 2.
In addition, NDLEA personnel will partner with AVSEC at screening points and conduct roving checks, while DSS operatives will provide continuous surveillance in departure areas.
FAAN has also announced the immediate activation of a mobile court to prosecute touts and offenders, along with the creation of a designated “meet-and-greet” area to decongest terminals. Businesses such as Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and car-hire services found loitering or operating outside approved areas will face immediate prosecution and possible shutdown.
At the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), FAAN will implement a timed parking system, limit car-hire vehicles in the parking area, and intensify the crackdown on touting and passenger harassment.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, Minister Festus Keyamo said the initiative demonstrates the administration’s zero-tolerance stance toward misconduct within the aviation sector.
Sources within the ministry told The PUNCH that FAAN plans to seek the support of the National Security Adviser for urgent implementation of the reforms.
Through Operation Air Clean, FAAN aims to create a safer, more transparent, and passenger-friendly environment across Nigeria’s airports — a step seen as crucial to restoring confidence in the country’s aviation system.
