As airports begin to witness yet another season of passenger surge occasioned by the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has warned air traveler against offering bribes and seeking someone else’s assistance to pack their luggage.
The advice is contained in a statement by the spokesman for FAAN, Mr Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua.
He urged Nigerians to “feel confident to travel through the airports this Yuletide season as the Authority has consistently taken measures to upgrade her security apparatus to ensure safety of life and property of the travelling public.”
“Do not give bribes or encourage extortion. Ensure that you pack your luggage by yourself. You must not assist anyone with his/ her luggage. If anyone needs help, he/she should call the attention of airport officials. Do not leave your luggage unattended,” he said.
Yakubu-Funtua also enjoined all travellers to be at the airport early enough to reduce and missing their flights.
“International travellers must be at the airport three hours before departure, while local travellers should arrive two hours to flight schedule,” he added.
He also said FAAN “has expanded the screening area at the airports in order to give passengers a better flying experience” and urged passengers to “keep an eye on your valuables while passing through screening.”
Meanwhile, he said a joint task force at the land side “is working relentlessly to ensure the free flow of traffic.”
For the car owners, the FAAN spokesman advised them to ensure they park their vehicles properly at the car park and not to engage the services of touts.
The Authority frowns at extortion and has gone an extra mile to engage undercover staff to observe and report every act of misdemeanours at the airports.
“The managing director of FAAN at a recent event gave severe warning to staff as well as all government agencies that operate at our airports that FAAN will ensure that whoever is culpable is punished,” he said.
