These days it seems not one week passes by without hearing some sort of News from FAAN , well things were not different this week as passengers arriving the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos and officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, were Monday engaged in a ferce exchange of words as FAAN attempted to force most of the passengers to pay a N2,000 charge on all checked-in luggage.
FAAN, however claimed that the N2,000 luggage charges was not imposed on all passengers but strictly on cargo agents who use passenger planes to transport their cargo at the airport.
When Reporters visited the airport terminal, there was confusion at the arrival hall of the terminal as passengers queried the motive behind the charges on checked-in luggage, when all the payments were included in the ticket.
One of the affected female passengers, a lady, who spoke to reporters, said she arrived Lagos aboard Emirates from Dubai at 12 noon. At baggage reclaim, she narrated, an official of FAAN said their luggage had been taken to the cargo section of the airport, adding that she should go and make payment there.
The passenger said she was still at the airport because of her luggage, as FAAN has refused to release them to her.
At press time, some of the passengers were still at the arrival hall, while others went to the airline office to lodge complaints over what they called unnecessary charges.
Meanwhile, General Manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, pointed out that the N2,000 charge was mandatory on cargo agents as most of them often transport about 20-30 luggage unaccompanied, or accompanied by proxies with passengers’ plane.
He said: “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.”