Accepting cash, an ATM card, and an FAAN card would have prevented the chaos.
Did you miss your flight because of the ongoing Federal Government’s cashless policy in Lagos and Abuja airports’ access gates? If you did, I empathise with you. If you have missed your flight before, you would understand the knock-on stress this has on your psyche. A missed flight automatically creates a domino effect on your life. Because you have missed your flight, you have also missed a scheduled meeting. You have broken a promise.
Meanwhile, the other party would view you as an irresponsible person who lacks the character to honour an appointment. Then your day suddenly turned around 360 degrees. First, some retrospection. Did you miss the flight because you overslept? No. If it were so, you would have quietly taken the blame and wallowed in your stew. A third party caused it.
On the one hand
Recently, this scenario happened when thousands of passengers failed to make it through the airports’ access gates. These passengers lacked the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) dedicated payment card. Not having a dedicated payment card triggered massive gridlock. Missed flights. Sweats. Widespread frustration among travellers.
On the other hand
The cashless policy should not have led to a fever or caused passengers to abandon vehicles at the airport entrances. There were even some delayed flights because passengers did not arrive on time. This is not what the cashless policy was designed for; something was amiss.
In the long term
Media reports said that the federal airports authority would commence electronic payments at its revenue points – access gates, car parks, VIP lounges, and protocol services – from September 2025. Due to the cashless policy at the airports, vehicles passing through the tollgate endured some delays. The car owners could not obtain the ‘gold’ card. After obtaining the card, airport users must register the card. Fund it. Scan it. This must happen at the entry points.
In the first instance, this is a recipe for chaos. For context, the Lagos airport is Nigeria’s busiest airport. It handles 10,000 passengers daily. Six months is not enough to move 10,000 passengers from cash payment to a cashless policy. Cash payment culture has been ongoing at our airports since independence. Six months is too short to change a culture. Besides, a triple play would have hindered the chaos. The triple play: Accept cash. ATM card. FAAN card. This would have prevented the cashless policy from becoming a classless problem.
Why this matters
Technology need not cause chaos. It should not lead to missed flights and agitated passengers. Embracing existing payment cards or the triple play scenario would have prevented the ugly situation we experienced at the Lagos airport recently.
In the short term
At the Munich Airport, you cannot miss your flight. It was the first airport in Europe to introduce a ‘’Smart Checkout’’ system. You scan and pay for items without waiting in line.
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