Nigeria approves biometric passenger verification system for domestic airports

The Federal Government has approved the rollout of a biometric passenger identity verification system, known as VPASS, across domestic airports in Nigeria, in a move aimed at strengthening aviation security and improving passenger identification processes.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in a statement issued through his spokesperson on Thursday.

The initiative forms part of wider reforms to enhance transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency in Nigeria’s aviation sector, while addressing long-standing gaps in passenger verification.

Contactless biometric verification system

According to the ministry, VPASS is designed as a contactless biometric verification platform that will ensure proper identification of all passengers across domestic airports.

The system is expected to eliminate loopholes in manual identification processes that have historically been exploited within the aviation ecosystem. It will also extend international-standard verification protocols to domestic flight operations, improving consistency across the sector.

The Federal Government added that the platform will eventually be expanded to include private aviation operations, strengthening oversight across all segments of air travel.

Deployment and implementation

Implementation of VPASS will begin with infrastructure rollout by VERXID Technologies Limited, followed by a nationwide sensitisation campaign to support adoption and compliance among passengers and aviation stakeholders.

Key aviation agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), are supporting the project under a public-private partnership framework.

FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, Adebola Agunbiade, described the system as a step towards eliminating reliance on physical identification and enabling seamless passenger processing using facial recognition technology.

Improving security and efficiency

The VPASS system is expected to deliver several benefits across Nigeria’s aviation sector, including stronger identity verification, reduced cases of fraud and unauthorised boarding, improved revenue tracking through accurate passenger data, reduced human interference in airport processes, and faster, more efficient passenger processing.