Nigerian Government has postponed the resumption of international flights earlier scheduled to commence August 29th to September 5th.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, disclosed this at the ongoing Presidential Task Force COVID-19 briefing in Abuja.
Nuhu said airlines and airports were ready to operate, other non-aviation logistics prompted the one-week extension.
“We have other non-aviation logistics we are still working on, mostly the COVID-19 protocol tests and online platform,” he said. “We need to get these ready.”
Nuhu described September 5 as a “sacrosanct date”, noting that “the initial announcement was anytime from the 29th.”
“In due course, we will be announcing the protocols for the resumptions and we will be giving further details,” he said. “Hopefully early next week, we will release these.”
Nigeria started to restrict international flights in March as part of efforts to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The country eventually went into a lockdown.
The shutdown, which included ban on inter-state travels and closure of public places and schools, contributed to the decline of the country’s economic growth.
In July, the country resumed domestic flight operations with international flights scheduled to follow.
The postponement came barely 48 hours to commencement of international flight expected to start from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
The Guardian