ABUJA  – Persistent downtime of automated check-in systems at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja and in Lagos airports has been traced to the abrupt withdrawal of services by Societe International Telecommunication Aeronautiques (SITA), according to the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and may not change any time soon. 

The disruption, which has lasted about a month, has rendered international passenger facilitation chaotic and outbound flights delayed. 

It was learnt that though SITA’s contract expired in May 2021, its operations were extended for another six months pending the switchover to another service provider that sent a bid and won the contract. 

SITA, however, shut down operations at the beginning of June over FAAN’s indebtedness. 

Foreign airlines have since then been conducting passenger facilitation by improvising with alternative platforms to check-in passengers and conduct necessary screening. 

Some of the airlines, as of yesterday, issued handwritten boarding passes and baggage tags to the dismay of travellers. 

Findings showed that both the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the new service provider, RESA Airport Data System, were caught unawares by SITA’s withdrawal. 

As part of measures to sustain the critical service, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) recently approved N10 billion to Airlington Security Nigeria Services for the automation of Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) in five international airports –Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Kano. Read more