Chaos to Order: Nigeria Overhauls Airport Rules After 21 Years

For an industry long troubled by terminal chaos, unauthorised airside access, physical assaults on airline staff, and pervasive touting, the updated regulatory framework offers a decisive playbook to sanitise Nigeria’s air transport gateways, writes WOLE SHADARE

Nigerian airports have frequently made headlines for the wrong reasons: irate passengers destroying check-in counters over flight delays, touts soliciting unvetted transport services inside arrival halls, and unauthorised personnel breaching restricted airside zones.

For more than two decades, managing terminal discipline, airside security, and commercial order across Nigeria’s 26 federal airports felt like trying to enforce 21st-century aviation standards with an obsolete legal rulebook.

In the past, Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel faced significant legal limitations when attempting to enforce immediate deterrence. Offenders were often released shortly after being apprehended due to vague statutory provisions, creating a culture of impunity.

An airport is an internationally benchmarked security zone, not an open marketplace. Law enforcement inside terminal buildings must be swift, clear, and uncompromising if we are to restore travellers’ confidence.

The last time the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) comprehensively updated its operational regulations was in 2005, an era that predated modern biometric screening, digital passenger processing, heightened global counter-terrorism protocols, and the explosive growth of domestic air travel.

That long-standing regulatory deficit officially came to an end when the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria unveiled its landmark 2025 Bye-Laws.

The unveiling marks the first full overhaul of the authority’s governing operational framework in 21 years.

Unveiled by FAAN Board Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, alongside the Managing Director, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, and Legal Adviser, Bridget Gold, the revised instrument bridges a dangerous two-decade gap between domestic airport enforcement and international standards.

To understand the necessity of this overhaul, one must examine the operational friction that defined Nigerian terminals over the last decade.

Airports across Murtala Muhammed International (Lagos), Nnamdi Azikiwe International (Abuja), and regional hubs were increasingly plagued by recurring operational headaches such as escalating incidents of physical and verbal assault against airline check-in staff and cabin crew during flight delays, unlawful access into restricted airside zones, posing severe security risks to aircraft on taxiways and aprons, and chronic touting, illegal protocol services, and informal commercial activities encroaching on passenger movement spaces and antiquated statutory fines from 2005 that amounted to minor slaps on the wrist for severe operational violations,.

Rooted in the Civil Aviation Act 2022 and aligned with ICAO Annex 17 security standards, the 2025 Bye-Laws establish a tough, enforceable legal mechanism to restore order across all federal airport premises nationwide

The new rules codify zero tolerance for physical or verbal abuse directed at airline staff, ground crews, or security officers. Passengers refusing safety instructions or disrupting terminal operations now face immediate detention by Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel, swift handovers to the Nigerian Police Force for prosecution, heavy financial penalties (up to ₦1,000,000 under aligned statutory provisions), potential jail terms, and inclusion on a national no-fly list for repeat offenders.

With recent investments in automated perimeter fencing and surveillance, the 2025 Bye-Laws establish strict legal boundaries around airside areas. Unauthorised entry into restricted aprons, runways, or baggage handling zones carries stiff criminal liabilities, treating perimeter breaches as top-tier security threats.

The framework formally criminalises informal “protocol” hustle, illegal baggage handling, and unapproved commercial touting inside terminal buildings. It also provides FAAN with stronger legal backing to regulate land-use around airport corridors, curbing unapproved encroachments on airport land banks.

The unveiling of the 2025 Bye-Laws provides FAAN with the modern legal teeth it has lacked for two decades. However, as Ganduje noted, the ultimate success of this milestone framework rests entirely on consistent, impartial enforcement across all airports nationwide.

If FAAN’s Aviation Security team and partner law enforcement agencies enforce these rules firmly, without fear, favour, or executive waivers, the 2025 Bye-Laws will go down as the single most critical governance reset in Nigeria’s modern air transport history.

For travelling Nigerians and international visitors alike, an orderly airport experience is no longer just an aspiration; it is now the law.

The revised Bye-Laws establish unambiguous rules aimed directly at the root causes of airport disruption

Unruly passenger behavior

Flight delays remain a persistent issue in domestic operations, but taking frustration out on airport personnel or airline staff now carries severe legal consequences. Physical or verbal abuse, destruction of property, or refusal to follow crew safety instructions can now lead to immediate arrest, fines up to ₦1,000,000, jail terms, and inclusion on a national no-fly list.

Touting elimination, unauthorised commercial activity

Arrival concourses at major hubs like Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, have historically struggled with illegal solicitations. The new rules empower AVSEC and law enforcement partners to remove, fine, and prosecute unauthorised operators, helping clean up terminal entrances.

Airside protection perimeter security

Restricted zones are now backed by strict criminal liability for unauthorised entry. By standardising airside access rules across all federal airports, FAAN aims to eliminate security breaches that threaten airport certification standards.

Path to effective enforcement

Having modern Bye-Laws on paper is an essential first step, but real transformation depends on consistent execution. As Director of Aviation Security Services ACP Afegbai Albert Igbafe noted during recent legal stakeholder sessions, establishing a dedicated judicial administration workflow between AVSEC, the Nigeria Police Force, and magistrate courts is critical to making these penalties stick.

Last line

For Nigeria’s air transport industry to reach its potential, terminal buildings must project order, safety, and operational efficiency. With the 2025 Bye-Laws now in effect, FAAN possesses the legal backing to turn that vision into a daily standard across the country’s airport network.

Wole Shadare