The federal government on Monday announced that domestic flights which were suspended on March 23, 2020 due to the ravaging coronavirus pandemic will tentatively resume on June 21
The minister of aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika who disclosed this at briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, however said the resumption of domestic service will be purely premised on the implementation of the approved protocols for safe operations by the airlines.
He said the three week-period “is to enable the operators adhere to all the necessary industry regulations, without which they cannot take to the skies after being dormant for some time. This is because aviation, unlike other sectors, is a highly regulated one.”
On the modalities for the operation of flights when they resume, the minister said consultations had been on and “will continue between the ministry and industry stakeholders on the best ways to operate profitably while at the same time ensuring the safety of travellers.”
Sirika cautioned owners of private aircraft who have been in the habit of asking for permits to fly within the country despite the restrictions in place to desist from making such request saying “the restrictions are still in place, except for those on essential services which have been clearly defined.”
He also stated unequivocally that approvals for flights on essential services are not paid for.
“It takes little or no time to grant such approvals while applications can be sent electronically to the minister, permanent secretary, the director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) or the managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
He warned people against allowing themselves to be scammed by people outside the approving authorities saying the sector under his watch has had zero tolerance for corrupt practices since he became minister.
Sirika expressed gratitude for the cooperation of stakeholders in the aviation sector in spite of their unquantifiable losses occasioned by the lockdown and assured that all things humanly possible would be done to ensure a speedy recovery of the sector.
