NCAA moves to deploy RFID technology to end baggage nightmares at Nigerian airports

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has begun the process of introducing Radio Frequency Identification technology at the country’s airports, in a bid to tackle the persistent problem of lost, delayed, damaged, and misrouted passenger luggage.

The technology, which tracks bags from check-in through loading to final arrival, was unveiled at a modernisation briefing organised by the NCAA for airlines, ground handlers, and other aviation stakeholders on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said baggage handling remains one of the industry’s biggest sources of passenger complaints—second only to flight delays.

“For many years now, one of the biggest complaints in the industry has been that of baggage,” he said. “Passengers frequently contend with bags that are short-landed, missing, lost, or damaged.”

Under the proposed system, passengers would be able to track their bags through a mobile application, seeing whether the luggage has left the check-in area, reached the sorting point, arrived at the boarding gate, or been loaded onto the correct aircraft. The technology would also flag discrepancies during processing, making it much harder for bags to be sent to the wrong destination.

Achimugu illustrated with a simple example: a passenger travelling from Lagos to Kano would have their bag tracked at every stage, reducing the chance of it being mistakenly loaded onto another flight.

The system would also improve how airlines respond to missing-baggage complaints by providing a digital record of the bag’s last known location. “If you have landed in Lagos, but your bag is in Enugu, for instance, you can tell the airline specifically where your bag is,” he said. That visibility, he added, would cut down the time airlines spend investigating claims and increase accountability along the baggage-handling chain.

However, the technology is not yet operational. The NCAA is still consulting with airlines and other stakeholders on implementation. Discussions are ongoing on how the RFID platform would integrate with airlines’ existing Passenger Service Systems and Departure Control Systems. The authority is also considering regulatory changes that could eventually make baggage automation mandatory.

Airlines have expressed support for the initiative but raised practical concerns about integration, infrastructure, human error, and cost. Operators questioned whether existing baggage-tagging equipment and printers would need replacement, and sought clarity on who would bear the expense. They also warned that RFID’s success would depend on adequate baggage-sorting infrastructure at airports.

The contractor, Aviation 360 Solutions, said the system would deploy multiple scanning points at sorting and loading areas to create a continuous digital record of each bag’s movement, making it possible to determine exactly where a bag was last scanned if it fails to reach the aircraft.

Achimugu stressed that successful rollout would require cooperation from the NCAA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, airlines, ground handlers, and other service providers. “The NCAA does not own airport infrastructure,” he noted, emphasising that all stakeholders must be involved because of their respective roles in baggage handling.

The project is expected to commence later this year, with the ultimate goal of reducing one of aviation’s most persistent passenger frustrations.