Nigeria

FG postpones date for resumption of domestic flights

Friday, June 19, 2020 at 1:28 AM by Kess Ewubare

- The Nigerian government has rescinded its decision to resume domestic flights on June 21

- Capt Musa Nuhu, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) made the disclosure in Abuja

- Nuhu said the ministry of aviation will not approve the resumption of domestic flights until it is safe to do so

The federal government has rescinded its decision to resume domestic flights on June 21, noting that the date is not feasible.

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The director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt Musa Nuhu, said the ministry of aviation will not approve the resumption of domestic flights until it is absolutely sure that it is safe to do so, The Cable reports.

Breaking: FG makes U-turn on resumption of domestic flights, gives reason — The NCAA said it will not approve the resumption of domestic flights until it is safe. Photo credits: Daily Trust
Source: UGC

When answering questions during the daily briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19, he said despite pressure from all quarters, the aviation ministry will not risk exposing travellers to coronavirus by opening the industry.

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“If we open the industry when we are not ready, and we are guilty of spreading coronavirus, God forbid we have any incident, I believe the government will come hard on us and it is going to be counterproductive and disastrous for the industry," he said.

Nuhu said the approval for flight resumption be made after the aviation ministry gets confirmation that operations can be carried out in a safe and organised manner.

Before now, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had commenced fumigation of the country's main airports ahead of re-opening.

The airports which were being fumigated included the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, and the Port Harcourt International Airport.

Meanwhile, in its unrelenting efforts to curb the devastating spread of coronavirus, the federal government has decided to disinfect not less than 123 aircraft and about 13 airports throughout Nigeria.

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This proposed move by the Nigerian government was revealed on Wednesday, April 29, by the minister of environment, Muhammad Mahmood, in Abuja, The Nation reports.

Briefing the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Mahmood stated that the ministry is taking a slow pace in the decontamination exercise because of the sensitive and delicate nature of the aviation industry.

The minister said: “It is a place that when it comes to safety, everything must be followed carefully, and even when we want to do that, we have to follow their lead as to how and where to go while decontaminating the aircraft.

"The decontamination is ongoing because there are other facilities that we are decontaminating across the country. So, we will go as soon as they are ready for us.”

In another report, Nigerians that are stranded in the United Kingdom have expressed great frustration over how their evacuation is being delayed by the federal government.