The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, has warned that incidents involving unruly passengers, staff conflicts, and non-compliance with safety protocols are threatening the progress made in Nigeria’s aviation safety record.
Speaking in Lagos at FAAN’s Aviation Safety Week, themed “Navigating Conflict for a Safer Aviation in Nigeria”, she called for a coordinated and proactive response from all industry stakeholders, emphasizing that safety is a collective effort requiring complete synergy between agencies, airlines, and regulators.
Former FAAN General Manager, Hon. Yakubu Dati, delivered the keynote address, corroborating the Managing Director’s concerns. He stressed that the industry has recorded an increase in incidents involving unruly passengers over the past decade, which directly challenges operational efficiency and compromises safety.
Dati cited the International Air Transport Association (IATA), reporting that disruptive passenger events now occur at a rate of 1 in every 568 flights, leadinging to verbal abuse, intoxication, and non-compliance with instructions.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has also identified “air rage” and aggression as safety-critical issues, urging member states to integrate behavioural risk management into their safety frameworks. Dati largely attributed the rise in conflicts within the aviation industry to a breakdown in communication.
Represented by Dr. Emiola Luqman, the Director of Human Resources and Administration, Mrs. Kuku outlined the decisive steps FAAN is taking to manage conflicts:
- Staff Training: Frontline personnel are being trained in conflict de-escalation and behavioural awareness
- Process Enhancement: Improving passenger facilitation processes to reduce stress, frustration, and miscommunication, which are often precursors to conflict
- Collaboration: Strengthening inter-agency collaboration to ensure clarity of roles and a unified, seamless response to conflict incidents
The FAAN MD stressed that the industry must shift from siloed efforts to integrated safety strategies, where security agencies, airlines, ground handlers, and the regulator work in complete synergy to promote a culture of safety, trust, and collaboration.
