…system to give passengers real-time visibility of luggage from check-in to carousel
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is set to introduce mandatory Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking across Nigerian airports in a major technology-driven effort to tackle the persistent problem of delayed, missing and misrouted luggage.
The initiative, which is being developed in collaboration with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), airlines and ground handling companies, is expected to give passengers real-time visibility of their checked baggage from check-in through boarding and arrival at their destination.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum on Tuesday, describing baggage-related complaints as one of the biggest challenges confronting air travellers after flight delays.
“For many years now, one of the biggest complaints in the industry has been that of baggage. It’s either passengers’ bags have been short-landed, missing, lost or destroyed”, Achimugu said.
According to him, the NCAA decided to deploy technology to address the problem and improve baggage-handling processes across the aviation industry.
“What we’ve decided to do is improve the system by automating it. The technology we are looking to use now is RFID – Radio Frequency Identification, to replace the current technology being used”, he said.
Unlike the conventional barcode system, which requires a scanner to have a clear line of sight to read information printed on baggage tags, RFID technology uses radio waves to identify and track tagged luggage.
The system is expected to allow multiple bags to be detected automatically as they move through conveyor belts, sorting areas and aircraft loading points, reducing the risk of human error and misrouting.
Achimugu explained that the technology would make it significantly more difficult for luggage meant for one destination to be loaded onto an aircraft heading elsewhere.
“For instance, it will be virtually impossible to load bags going to Kano on a Lagos flight”, he said.
The proposed system will also include a mobile application through which passengers can monitor the movement of their luggage in real time.
Travellers will be able to determine whether their bags have left the check-in area, reached the sorting belt, arrived at the aircraft, been loaded into the hold and, ultimately, reached the baggage reclaim area at their destination.
“Even while you have boarded your flight, you can check to be sure that your bag is on that flight’, Achimugu said.
He added that the technology would also change the way passengers report missing baggage by enabling them to provide airlines with precise information about the last known location of their luggage.
“If you have arrived at your destination and your bag has not landed with you, you can tell, even without complaining to the airline, where your bag is”, he said.
“So when you call the airline to complain, you can tell them specifically, ‘I’ve landed in Lagos, but my bag is in Enugu”.
Achimugu said the technology would substantially reduce the time airlines spend investigating baggage complaints.
He noted that existing regulations allow airlines up to seven days to locate and reconcile short-landed baggage involving domestic passengers, but said RFID tracking could make the process virtually instantaneous.
“With this technology, it will be instant”, he said.
The NCAA Director, however, clarified that the system is not yet operational, although preparations for its implementation have reached an advanced stage.
According to him, the contractor handling the project has already been introduced to airlines, while discussions are ongoing to address the integration of the new system with the different operating platforms used by carriers.
“We’re about to commence”, Achimugu said, adding that the contract is expected to be signed shortly, with implementation targeted for this year.
He also disclosed that the NCAA is reviewing existing aviation regulations to make automated baggage tracking mandatory for airlines operating in Nigeria.
“The NCAA is involved as a regulator because we receive most of these complaints and we also provide oversight of the service providers”, he explained.
However, he stressed that the project was not solely an NCAA initiative, noting that FAAN, as the owner of airport infrastructure, would work directly with the contractor on the deployment.
Major ground handling companies, including Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), are also involved because of their role in baggage handling operations.
Achimugu described the approach as a holistic one, saying all major stakeholders involved in the movement of passengers’ luggage had been brought into the process.
The planned deployment comes amid continuing efforts by the aviation authorities to address other major sources of passenger complaints, particularly flight delays and cancellations.
Achimugu said while measures were being taken to address delays and cancellations, the NCAA was determined to tackle baggage problems separately through technology.
He said the objective was to modernise baggage handling and ultimately eliminate avoidable cases of lost and misrouted luggage in the Nigerian aviation system.