FAAN V-Pass Facial Recognition Rolls Out at Domestic Airports

In Short

• FAAN has introduced V-Pass, a biometric facial recognition system for passenger processing at domestic airports it manages.
• Passengers do a one-time enrolment, then use their face to verify identity on future trips.
• FAAN says the system is built with privacy controls and complies with Nigeria’s NDPR.

What Happened

FAAN’s V-Pass facial recognition system is now being unveiled for use at domestic airports under its management. Facial recognition is a biometric check, it matches a live face scan to a stored template, like using your face as a password.

FAAN says passengers will only need to enrol once. After that, the system can verify identity automatically on later journeys. The goal is to reduce reliance on physical ID checks and speed up passenger flow.

FAAN also said V-Pass will work with automated e-Gates. E-Gates are self-service checkpoints that open after an automated identity check, similar to barcode gates at a metro station, but using biometrics instead of a ticket.

The rollout follows Federal Government approval of the VPASS identity verification programme in April 2026. FAAN says the project is intended to close gaps in existing passenger identification processes and strengthen airport security.

Why It Matters

For travellers, V-Pass could mean shorter queues and fewer manual checks, especially at busy domestic terminals. For airport operations, automated verification can reduce bottlenecks and make processing times more predictable.

For regulators and privacy watchdogs, the key issue will be how biometric data is stored, accessed, and retained. FAAN says the platform complies with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), and it plans to share more details on public sensitisation and nationwide rollout timelines.

This domestic rollout also sits alongside Nigeria’s wider push for technology-led border and airport upgrades, including e-Gates already being deployed at international airports.