The managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, on Friday inspected the rollout of the hybrid payment system at the tollgate of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Ms Kuku had earlier in the day inspected Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where the system had already been launched.

Speaking after the inspection, Ms Kuku said the visit was in line with the directive of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), to implement a hybrid payment approach across airport tollgates.

According to her, the system allows travellers to pay using the automated “gold card” cashless method while still retaining the option of cash and other payment channels to ease the transition.

She noted that the Abuja tollgate recorded a free flow of traffic during the morning rollout, supported by ongoing public awareness campaigns that educate users about the automated payment system.

At the Lagos airport tollgate, she said traffic also moved smoothly, although more sensitisation was still needed due to the airport’s large number of first-time or occasional users.

Ms Kuku explained that many travellers were still learning to navigate the available payment options and adopt faster, more seamless automated methods.

The FAAN managing director added that more work remained to fully integrate the system, particularly given that existing concessionaires manage the toll infrastructure.

She said lessons from the ongoing rollout would guide the full integration and streamlining of the payment process in collaboration with the Ministry of Aviation.

The hybrid payment system is part of FAAN’s ongoing efforts to modernise airport access gates, improve traffic flow, and introduce more efficient digital payment options for airport users.

(NAN)