The issue of delays at Airports with regards to passenger facilitation at the Murtala Muhammed international Airport Lagos is now being addressed as there is a major step at enhancing safety and security with upgraded infrastructure
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has taken a significant step towards modernizing the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, with the deployment of cutting-edge AI-powered security machines.
The machines, known as the Orion 928DX and Orion 927DX, utilize artificial intelligence to detect explosives, narcotics, and other prohibited items with unparalleled accuracy.
Head of ICT at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport MMIA Lagos, Chima Ogechukwu-Juliet,while addressing journalists during a tour of the terminal facilities at the MMIA , said the new machines which can be described as a leap from analog to digital will boast crystal-clear digital displays and can detect threats in real-time, significantly reducing the need for manual baggage checks.
Ogechukwu-Juliet, who noted that the upgrade is expected to ease passenger checking, reduce wait times, and enhance the overall travel experience at MMIA, said the machines are equipped with advanced features such as the SP4, “Spectrum 4 Color Imaging” which enhances visual clarity and speeds up the detection process and can also detect organic materials, undeclared currencies, and other contraband with ease.
She also said MMIA currently operates six Orion 928DX machines and four Orion 927DX systems, with plans to receive four more units in the coming weeks.
FAAN’s Director of Aviation Security Services, ACP Igbafe Afegbe (retired),while speaking on the new equipment, said the new machines were install to eliminate the need for physical contact between passengers and security personnel, reducing the risk of exploitation, maintained that the machines will also be integrated with CCTV cameras to ensure that passengers are not being exploited.
He also disclosed that with the new e-gate system, passengers only need to scan their boarding passes to pass through, noting that without a valid pass, access is denied which has significantly reduced touting and prevented unauthorized access.
Igbafe, said FAAN is comprehensively upgrading most of the security equipment at the strategic areas of the passenger and cargo service terminals to done away with the obsolete security machines in line with ICAO regulations and requests of some of the international airlines.
He further assured that by the time FAAN finished installing all the screening machines and the monitors, each security agency would have its own monitors and the tables would be put away permanently while noting that when the machines dictate something, the Aviation Security (AVSEC) will call the relevant agencies such as National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Customs, Quarantine, amongst others to follow up.
To further enhance security operations, FAAN also installed a new set of high-performance baggage screening machines designed to detect narcotics, undeclared currencies, and other contraband at the cargo terminal.
Heqd of Protocol Unit,FAAN, Rose Annette Akinlabi, explained that the lounge at the MMIA terminal two, has been remodeled to serve as a transitional holding point for clients ahead of immigration processing.
Akinlabi noted that the upgrading is to help clients put their travel documents in order before taking them for passport stamping.
Recall that the upgrade was part of FAAN’s efforts to align Nigeria’s airport security protocols with international standards while the authority has also planned to extend the installation of the new machines to other international airports across the country, including the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
To this end, FAAN has also taken significant action to finally remove the notorious table where some security operatives stay at departures to physically search and allegedly extort passengers by providing an alternative system, whereby security officials at the terminals can monitor passengers’ luggage through computer systems.
Over the years, air travelers and industry stakeholders have expressed concerns that the table where security operatives, including NDLEA, Quarantine, Nigeria Customs Service officials conduct secondary checks after baggage have been screened by scanning machines only constitutes delays and amounts to unnecessary multiple checks at the airport.
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