FAAN Washes Hands off Charges Racketeering

Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said that only cargo consignments checked-in as carry-on baggage attracts N2’ 000 fee per piece.

The charge does not apply to passengers with their carry-on baggage, the FAAN said.

According to Yakubu Dati, general manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN, in reaction to reports that passengers were being charged N2,000 per bag on arrival at the Lagos airport, said the consignments affected were often times 20-30 pieces of luggage unaccompanied or accompanied by proxies.

He explained that:’’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’’.

Aside from Cargo agents who are enmeshed in this fraudulent act, Dati noted that some passengers also used to be accompanied 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.

The FAAN spokesman emphasized, :’’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’’.

He added that,: ‘’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 wishes to reiterate the earlier 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’’, he concluded..