…. Passengers To Arrive 3 Hours Before Take Off
By Gbenga Abulude
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 has signalled the resumption of international flights to the country even as they assess the conditions and safety for the aviation Industry.
The PTF National Coordinator, Mallam Sani Aliyu, in a briefing on Thursday in Abuja, has tasked the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other agencies, as well as airlines to begin the process for the resumption of international flights.
Read also: COVID 19: IMF Urges Government To Keep Support Program In Place Amid Fears Of Second Wave
Aliyu, stated that passengers must arrive three hours before flights when the country’s airspace finally reopens for international operations.
“Specific to air transportation, as you are aware, domestic flights have already resumed, the railway sector has also restarted. For international travel, we have made recommendations to the aviation industry to commence the process for reopening international airports provided all existing international and local Covid-19 protocol are in place,” says Mallam Aliyu
He added, “We have modified the protocol for passenger arrivals at the airports. Domestic passengers arriving at the airports are advised to arrive one hour before their flights and three hours before international flights when this restarts.
“There may be additional infrastructure for some of the airports. What we want to do and we’ve made it very clear at the PTF is that we want to resume as soon as possible but in a safe manner and do not put at risk all that we’ve done to control this pandemic. Hopefully in weeks but not month”.
In a related development, the Minister of Aviation, Alhaji Hadi Sirika, lamented that jobs are being lost due to the pandemic, international flights would however resume in a safe manner and that the government was conscious of its decision and would like to reopen as soon as possible.
Read also: WTO’s Top Job: Anxious Wait As Okonjo Iweala, Others Call For Quick Vetting Of Candidates
The PTF signalled for local flights to begin in July after four months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nigerians and travellers had been in high hopes for the resumption of international flights.
