Michael Achimugu

Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu. Photo credit: X | Michael Achimugu

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification technology for tracking passengers’ checked-in luggage in Nigerian airports.

The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this in a statement shared on his official X account on Tuesday.

Achimugu said the NCAA met with domestic airlines, other aviation service providers and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in Lagos to finalise plans for the migration to RFID bag tagging.

According to him, the technology will enable passengers to track the location of their luggage in real time from check-in until arrival at their destination.

He said the system would help address cases of misrouted and short-landed bags while improving baggage handling and the resolution of passengers’ complaints.

“This automation technology means that air passengers can track the location of their bags from check-in to arrival at destination, real time,” Achimugu said.

He added that the technology, although already in use in other parts of the world, would be introduced in Nigeria for the first time.

“Although not novel globally, this is coming to Nigeria for the first time, and its proper implementation would guarantee greater efficiency in baggage handling, complaints resolution, and passenger satisfaction,” he said.

Achimugu said the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had approved the review of the technology by relevant agencies, following which consultations were held and possible implementation challenges examined.

He said the consensus was that the initiative should proceed, describing it as a step towards improving passenger experience in Nigeria’s aviation sector.

“Due to a listening minister, a proactive DGCA, and a vibrant MD FAAN, we are about to witness a new era in civil aviation in Nigeria,” Achimugu said.

He added that further details on the implementation of the RFID baggage tracking system would be announced later.