The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has adopted a temporary hybrid payment system at airport toll gates following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to ease the implementation of the cashless policy across airports.
The Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday in Lagos
Kuku said the decision followed severe traffic gridlocks recorded at major airport toll points, particularly in Lagos, when the authority attempted to transition fully to digital payments.
According to her, commuters and travellers experienced significant delays at airport entrances during the rollout of the cashless system.
She said the President’s intervention was a major relief for both the travelling public and the aviation industry.
“He saw the traffic gridlock we were having while rolling out the cashless policy and, in his understanding of our environment, directed us to revert temporarily to the status quo using a hybrid approach.
“That is what we are doing now, and it is a win for the industry,” she said.
Kuku explained that the hybrid system would allow FAAN to continue its digital transformation while still accepting cash payments, ensuring that passengers do not miss flights due to processing delays at the toll gates.
“The President has given us time to go back and refine the process. The technology we deployed actually works, and we already had four payment options available.
“What he asked us to do is refine the system and ensure that we have more users onboarded,” she said.
Kuku noted that many passengers and commuters were unaware that the authority would strictly enforce the March 1 deadline for the transition to cashless toll payments.
(Agency Report)
