NCAA deploys RFID technology to curb baggage mishandling

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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has commenced moves to deploy Radio Frequency Identification technology at Nigerian airports to tackle persistent cases of lost, delayed, damaged and misrouted passengers’ baggage.

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The technology, which is expected to track passengers’ luggage from check-in to aircraft loading and arrival, was unveiled at a technology modernisation briefing organised by the NCAA for airlines, ground handlers and other aviation stakeholders on Tuesday.

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

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

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He said the proposed RFID system would allow passengers to monitor their bags through an application and know whether the luggage had left the check-in area, reached the sorting point, arrived at the boarding area or been loaded onto the correct aircraft.

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According to him, the technology would also help prevent bags from being sent to the wrong destinations by flagging discrepancies during processing.

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Achimugu gave the example of a passenger travelling from Lagos to Kano, saying the system would make it difficult for such a bag to be loaded onto another flight without being detected.

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He said RFID would equally improve the way airlines respond to missing-baggage complaints by providing a record of the bag’s last known location.

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“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.

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Achimugu said such visibility would reduce the time airlines spend investigating baggage complaints and make operators more accountable for lapses along the baggage-handling chain.

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However, the technology is not yet operational, as the NCAA continues consultations with airlines and other stakeholders on implementation.

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He further said discussions were ongoing on how the RFID platform would integrate with airlines’ existing Passenger Service Systems and Departure Control Systems, while the authority was also considering regulatory changes that could make baggage automation mandatory.

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Airlines support the initiative, but raised concerns about integration, infrastructure, human error and the cost of implementation.

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Operators questioned whether existing baggage-tagging equipment and printers would have to be replaced and sought clarity on who would bear the cost of the new technology.

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They also warned that the success of RFID would depend on adequate baggage-sorting infrastructure at airports.

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The contractor, Aviation 360 Solutions, said the system would deploy multiple scanning points at baggage sorting and aircraft-loading areas to create a digital record of each bag’s movement.

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The company said the system would make it possible to determine where a bag was last scanned if it failed to reach the aircraft.

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Achimugu said successful implementation would require the cooperation of the NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, airlines, ground handlers and other service providers.

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“The NCAA does not own airport infrastructure,” he said, stressing that all stakeholders must be involved because of their respective roles in baggage handling.

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The NCAA said the project is expected to commence later this year, with the ultimate objective of reducing one of the aviation industry’s most persistent passenger complaints.

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