Aviation Nigeria
The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN has denied reports that passengers are being charged N2, 000 per bag on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to a statement by the FAAN General Manager Corporate Communications Yakubu Dati, “The charge does not apply to all passengers but to cargo agents who use passenger planes to transport their cargo- often times 20-30 pieces of luggage unaccompanied or accompanied by proxies.
“This fraudulent practice mounts untold pressure on our conveyor belts and short-changes FAAN of its much needed revenue. Cargo agents are well aware that all cargo must go through the designated cargo terminal where they go through laid down processes for safety and security procedures.
“The fact of the matter is that some passengers arrived with cargo which they should have passed as cargo through the cargo terminal and wanted to pass same as mere luggage and FAAN decided to charge them the cargo fee, which is a normal charge that was done with receipts.
Dati also stated that “We wish to stress that it was not the passengers’ luggage that was charged, but the cargo, as affected passengers arrived with average of eight bags of cargo. The passengers should have passed the cargo through the cargo terminal instead of coming with them”.
“It is also important to explain that the charge has always been in FAAN’s books but when the concessionaire, Pan Express Limited was ceded the power to collect cargo charges it was part of the charges the company was collecting but now FAAN has decided to collect the charges and there is no need mixing it up with luggage.
The Authority apologized to passengers who may have been affected by the procedure and also reiterated a warning to cargo agents “to desist from this unwholesome practice or face the full wrath of the law, as no form of blackmail will deter us from carrying out our mandate of providing services at internationally acceptable standards and practices”.
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