In a recent tweet on Wednesday, the minister for aviation Hadi Sirika has announced that domestic flights would resume on July 8, 2020. According to him, the operations would resume at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikwe Airport in Abuja on July 8 with other airports to follow.
“I am glad to announce that Abuja and Lagos airports will resume domestic operations on the 8th of July, 2020. Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri & Maiduguri to resume on the 11th. Other airports on the 15th. The date for international to be announced in due course. Bear with us,” he wrote.
Calling back our mind on the statement of Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, at the daily briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 that held on Monday. According to him, the federal government had approved that domestic flights resume in the country on a safe date.
Flights had been suspended in the country as part of movement restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The PTF had initially set June 21 as a tentative date for flight resumption and had mandated aviation agencies and operators to work on resumption protocols in line with COVID-19 safety guidelines.
On June 18, Musa Nuhu, director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), announced that the June 21 date was no longer feasible as checks still had to be carried out on the adjustments made by stakeholders.
In preparation for flight resumption, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) published guidelines for passengers including one that states that passengers have to be at the airport three hours before take-off.
