The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has tasked airlines to review their schedules during the Yuletide to curb flight delays and cancellations.

The Agency also revealed that it has commenced weekly meetings with relevant stakeholders to ensure a comfortable passenger experience and smooth flight operation between December and January.

The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at a retreat organised for the FAAN Governing Board and Stakeholders with the theme: “Future-proofing FAAN: Leadership, modernisation and Strategic renewal”.

She also revealed that efforts are ongoing to fix the faulty cooling systems, address power challenges, and maintain a clean environment during the festive period.

Highlighting preparations for the Yuletide, Kuku said: “Crucially, we must ensure that all our airports are safe, secure, and welcoming spaces for our guests, who are the reason for our existence.

“We know that a challenge that we continue to have around the peak period is delays from airlines. We are asking the airlines, in conjunction with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to review their schedules and at least make information available in a timely manner where delays exist. So we are working closely together to ensure that we can have a smooth operation this holiday period.

“We are speaking very closely with all of our stakeholders. We started facilitation meetings every week, as opposed to quarterly, with all the ground handlers as well as the airlines.

“So, I can assure Nigerians during the peak period that we are making our environment comfortable from a passenger experience perspective. We are ensuring that the cooling systems are working at the airports and working overnight”.

She added: “I think the sanitary environment is something that we have seen complaints about. So, we are pulling in facility managers into most of those major airports as well, not just the cleaners, because we have seen some culpability with those as well.

“We have had some challenges from a power perspective, especially in Lagos. So, we are working very closely with the DISCO and on the secondary power systems as well to have a comfortable environment”.

Kuku also hinted that FAAN has increased its aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue target.

“Under the leadership of this present administration, where we took over in December 2023, we have increased our revenue significantly, and not just due to the FX fluctuations. If you look at our non-aeronautical revenue, we have increased our non-aeronautical revenue by over 50 per cent.

“Our aeronautical revenue, which comprises landing, parking, and passenger service charges, has also increased. So we are on track as it relates to our revenue targets, and we are excited about that, and hope that FAAN will continue to be a self-sustaining agency.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the FAAN Board, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, said the board would support the management to make FAAN a modern, efficient, innovative, and financially sustainable institution.

He, however, noted that the management of FAAN must pay attention to operational excellence, passenger experience, inter-agency coordination, and adopt a unified security architecture that enhances safety across airport operations.

He added that the upgrade of infrastructure, enhanced security systems, and adoption of digital solutions that align the country’s airports with global best practices must be accelerated.

Ganduje said, “Investing in staff welfare and capacity development, recognising that our people are the true engine of organisational progress and improving operational efficiency and expanding revenue generation pathways to ensure long-term sustainability must be our focus.” (The Nation)