The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is set to commence pay parking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on September 29, 2022.
With this development, our correspondent reports that all access to both domestic, general airport terminal and the international terminal of the Abuja airport would be automated.
- Nigeria, Africa losing out due to wrong perception — Daniel
- Census: NPC expresses concern over delay in materials’ procurement
Our correspondent, who visited the airport, observed that the automated barriers are already being installed at strategic entrances to the various airport terminals.
A flyer produced by FAAN to educate airport users indicated that, “From September 29th, 2022 pay parking would commence.” But “there will be dedicated parking lots for private and public protocols committed to enhancing their experience to sustain our core values – safety, security and comfort.”
It was learnt from sources inside FAAN that all the dedicated parking lots would be paid for and some will attract premium annual payments for certain categories of very important people.
It is not immediately clear how much FAAN would charge as all the fine details are still being worked on by the committee overseeing the implementation of the new product. However, the standard charge in most facilities where pay parking has been implemented is N200 per hour after a grace period of about one hour.
The federal government has also approved the new order at the Abuja airport.
Our correspondent gathered that on August 16, 2022, the Managing Director of FAAN, Capt. Kabir Yadudu Mohammed, had in a letter sought the approval of the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika to obtain the necessary federal government approvals to introduce the service.
It was gathered that the federal government immediately approved the new service.
In the letter speaking approval, FAAN had noted that “taking the current security situation of the country into consideration, it is important to be more organised and orderly within the airport.
“As such, rowdiness in the drop-off area and parking lots, improper parking, parking in restricted areas, unnecessary congestion in front of the terminal and all forms of unruly behaviour should be avoided by all airport users and passengers alike.”
FAAN further stated that the military and paramilitary personnel, government officials, and politicians as well as their aides are not exempted. However, dedicated car lots would be provided for them for a fee as there might be no free parking anywhere within the terminal environment.
“There will also be a redefinition of the VIP/VVIP parking lots and introduction of dedicated parking lots for corporate organizations and the above-mentioned categories of highly enticed individuals going forward”, the document sighted by our correspondent indicated.