The staggered resumption, beginning with the Lagos-Abuja route today, will serve as a test-case for flight operations in the COVID-19 era. Other routes into the remaining four of the six designated airports will also open, beginning from this weekend.
The Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri, and Maiduguri airports will reopen to flights on July 11, while other airports across the country will join from July 15. The Public Affairs’ General Manager of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority , Sam Adurogboye, confirmed that all the scheduled carriers, except one, had been cleared in accordance to compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocol.
Some of the scheduled operators confirmed their readiness for a restart, amid new safety protocol. For instance, all intending passengers have been advised to book online, wear face masks, arrive early and fully submit selves to screening at various stages in and out of the terminals. Similarly, the airlines are marketing hike fares, though onboard meals have been scrapped.
Passengers were advised to arrive at the airport three hours before the scheduled departure so as to have ample time to undergo security and health protocol before the flight. Furthermore, all passengers are required to come properly kitted with their face masks. SOME operators were worried that the Federal Government was yet to release the bailout fund till date, despite the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika’s promise that the palliative would be released early this week.
He said the airlines were not alone in the waiting game, as other operators and regulators, had losses, which they need to cushion with the bailout lump sum. “Based on a request by customers, I already see about 30 per cent traffic of the pre-COVID era. This is not a bad start, as a lot of travellers will still be skeptical. By next week, it will peak to about 50 per cent and continue to increase steadily as confidence grows.
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