The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has debunked that it has imposed a blanket ban on e-hailing services at the nation’s airports.

Rather, FAAN said it was only seeking to establish an operational framework that guarantees safety, security and accountability of all airport users and passengers.

A statement yesterday by its management said that its new initiative was not aimed at limiting passengers’ transportation options or undermining the role of e-hailing platforms in providing convenient mobility for air travellers.

The agency stated that its primary responsibility was to ensure that activities within the airport environment were conducted in a manner that protected passengers and other airport users.

According to the agency, airports are highly regulated environments and all commercial transportation services operating within their premises are expected to operate under an appropriate framework that gives the airport authority adequate visibility over their vehicles, drivers and operations.

The statement added: “This is particularly important given the volume and nature of passenger movements at our airports and the need to ensure that persons providing transportation services within the airport environment are identifiable, accountable and properly integrated into the airport’s operational and security framework.

FAAN also wishes to clarify a misconception regarding the authority’s ACHRAMS platform. ACHRAMS is not an e-hailing application and is not intended to compete with or replicate the services provided by Uber, Bolt or any other e-hailing platform.

“It was developed primarily to provide operational visibility and tracking within the airport environment, while also facilitating seamless and accountable management of applicable concession and related airport charges.”

According to FAAN, it had, over time, received complaints and observed operational challenges associated with commercial transportation activities within and around airport environments.

These, it said, included passenger solicitation and touting, which had made it necessary to establish a clear and effective framework for managing commercial transportation operations at airports.

According to FAAN, the objective of the initiative was to ensure that e-hailing operators could continue to serve air travellers within a framework that satisfies the operational and security requirements of the airport environment.

It, however, agreed that Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing service operators were providing convenience and additional transportation choices for passengers, stressing that it was keen to conclude the discussions with the affected operators as quickly as possible.

FAAN informed that it was currently in constructive discussions with the e-hailing operators, aimed at resolving outstanding issues, particularly passenger safety and security, operational visibility, accountability and the appropriate management of pick-up activities within airport premises.

The agency maintained that it remained committed to working collaboratively with Uber, Bolt and other mobility providers to ensure that passengers continued to have access to safe and convenient transportation options at Nigerian airports.