The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has cleared Bolt to resume operations at its managed airports, following the resolution of operational issues that had disrupted e-hailing services .
In a statement issued on Thursday by its Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, FAAN said the decision followed “constructive engagements” with the company, leading to an “agreeable operational framework” . Bolt is now permitted to resume services immediately at all FAAN-managed airports .
The development comes after weeks of public outcry over the temporary disruption of e-hailing services at airports, which left many passengers with fewer transportation options and exposed them to higher costs .
FAAN also apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused, saying it had listened to their concerns and made necessary adjustments .
“We sincerely apologise for the difficulties this caused our passengers,” the statement read. “While the Authority’s actions were driven by regulatory, safety and security considerations rather than economic interests, FAAN acknowledges that the immediate impact on passengers was significant. We have listened, reflected and made the necessary adjustments” .
The authority explained that the regulatory measures were part of a nearly decade-long effort to address challenges associated with commercial and e-hailing vehicles within airport premises . These challenges included passenger solicitation, touting, unregulated operations, random pick-ups, and safety and accountability concerns .
FAAN introduced the Airport Car Hire Rank Management System as part of efforts to bring greater structure and accountability to airport transportation . However, the authority stressed that ACHRAMS is “not an e-hailing application” and was never created to compete with Bolt, Uber or any other mobility platform .
FAAN also clarified that the airport taxi fares that attracted public criticism were not newly imposed by the authority or created by ACHRAMS, but had existed independently. The system only made the prevailing rates more visible to passengers .
The authority insisted it “supports healthy competition and does not seek to create or promote a monopoly in airport transportation” . Discussions with other e-hailing operators are ongoing, with FAAN expressing confidence that outstanding engagements would be concluded in the coming days .
FAAN reiterated that passengers remain free to choose from available authorised transportation options, adding that its responsibility is to ensure all services operate in a safe, secure and accountable manner .
