ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has introduced an electric transport system at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, deploying more than 30 electric vehicles in a move officials say will cut emissions, improve airside logistics and modernise passenger-facing services.
The first phase, unveiled on Thursday, includes 10 electric shuttle buses and 20 electric saloon cars to support both airside and landside operations—from staff movement and passenger coordination to routine airport mobility and oversight.
Flagging off the programme, FAAN Governing Board Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje called it a milestone in the agency’s push to align Nigeria’s aviation sector with global standards. He said electric vehicles are “cleaner, quieter and more energy-efficient,” and argued that their predictable performance and lower maintenance requirements would strengthen operational monitoring, coordination and accountability.
Ganduje also linked the shift to international climate targets, citing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) long-term aspirational goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for international aviation.
FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku said the Abuja rollout is designed as a template for scaling cleaner mobility across the airport network, adding that FAAN has secured approval to deploy 100 electric vehicles as airport shuttles in both Abuja and Lagos (Murtala Muhammed International Airport). She described the project as part of a broader “innovation and private sector partnership” agenda, pointing to FAAN’s Go-Cashless reforms aimed at automating payments and reducing leakages.
Kuku said the new buses are Nigerian-made NEV T6 models and framed the initiative as a first step toward wider clean-energy infrastructure, including potential solar-power deployment at airports.
Operational delivery is being handled through a private partnership. Abimbola Gaya, identified by FAAN as a flight/fleet operations lead at Possible EVS, said the company—working with manufacturer Zuiid Electric—will run a zero-emission shuttle service from the airport to Abuja’s city centre daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., charging ₦10,000 per passenger.
FAAN officials said the Abuja deployment is the start of a gradual expansion to other airports, with performance, maintenance and utilisation expected to determine the pace of rollout.
