By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology at domestic and international airport terminals to tackle cases of delayed, missing and misrouted luggage.
The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
Achimugu said the RFID system would replace the traditional barcode system and allow airlines and passengers to see the movement of checked luggage from check-in to the point where it is collected at the destination.
He explained that RFID technology allows bags to be scanned automatically at different points without requiring direct line of sight, making it possible to track their movement as they pass through the airport.
According to him, the technology would help reduce baggage mishandling, make it easier to trace luggage and hold those responsible for its handling accountable.
Achimugu said complaints over short-landed, missing, lost and destroyed baggage had remained among the major concerns in the aviation industry, coming after flight delays in the number of complaints received from passengers.
He said the introduction of RFID was therefore necessary to address the problem and give passengers greater confidence in the handling of their luggage.
The NCAA said the move is also in line with International Air Transport Association (IATA) Resolution 753, which requires baggage to be tracked at key points during its journey.
With RFID, bags can be identified and tracked at several stages without the need for staff to manually scan each barcode, giving airlines better information on where luggage was last recorded when a problem occurs.
The authority expects the technology to reduce cases of bags being delayed or sent to the wrong destination and make it easier for airlines to locate and account for luggage when passengers report problems.
