Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has cleared ride-hailing platform Bolt to resume operations at Nigerian airports following an operational agreement reached between both parties.
FAAN disclosed this in a statement issued by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Henry Agbebire, on Thursday.
The development follows complaints by passengers after FAAN restricted the operations of Uber, Bolt and other ride-hailing platforms at airports.
Agbebire said the disagreement was linked to concerns over safety, security and accountability surrounding commercial and e-hailing vehicles operating within airport environments.
According to him, FAAN had spent nearly a decade seeking to address challenges associated with unregulated vehicle pickups, passenger solicitation and other activities involving commercial drivers, including some working simultaneously across multiple ride-hailing platforms.
“We sincerely apologise for the difficulties this caused our passengers,” Agbebire said.
He added that FAAN had “listened, reflected and made the necessary adjustments” following the public reaction to the disruption.
The FAAN spokesperson said the concerns informed the introduction of the Airport Car Hire Management System (ACHRAMS).
He explained that ACHRAMS was not an e-hailing application and was not designed to compete with Bolt, Uber or other mobility platforms.
FAAN also dismissed claims that it was responsible for controlling airport transport fares.
The authority said fares cited during recent public discussions were not newly introduced by FAAN or created by its car-hire management system.
According to FAAN, the system merely made existing fares more visible to passengers, attracting public scrutiny when compared with the generally lower prices offered by ride-hailing platforms.
FAAN said its discussions with Bolt had resulted in an operational agreement, paving the way for the company to resume services at airports.
The authority added that it was still in discussions with other e-hailing operators and expected the talks to be concluded in the coming days.
It, however, did not disclose the names of the other ride-hailing companies affected by the restriction.
FAAN maintained that its actions were guided by regulatory, safety and security considerations and not commercial interests.
The authority also said it had no intention of creating a monopoly over airport transportation services.
FAAN apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the temporary disruption and expressed appreciation for their patience and understanding.
