Nigeria could reopen its airports for international flights in October after being forced to shut down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, government officials said Tuesday.
In March, President Muhammad Buhari ordered the suspension of foreign flights to curb the influx of imported virus cases into the country.
Nevertheless, though the country reopened its domestic flights airports earlier this month, it extended the closure of the international flights billed for August.
The Nigerian government was under pressure to lift the ban on international flights after 30 per cent of traffic was estimated to have been recorded a week after domestic flights were reopened.
Tour operators and travel services firms, who have been the most seriously impacted by the closure of the airport, are groaning at the accumulated losses suffered as a result of the ongoing cessation of international flights.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said Nigeria’s aviation sector has lost N24 billion a month since the country’s COVID-19 outbreak – N7 billion a month for aviation agencies; N10 billion for airlines and N4 billion for ground handling, catering and other services; and N3 billion for ‘tangential,’ said the Business Day report.
Nigeria, according to the International Air Transport Association ( IATA), risks losing 124,000 aviation jobs, which could lead to a loss of some $900 million in GDP.
During the lockout, Nigeria’s largest airline, Arik Air, asked 90 per cent of its 1,800 staff to go on indefinite unpaid leave, with the remaining 10 per cent subject to 80 per cent pay cuts in their salaries, as did Max Air.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Musa Nuhu, released a NOTAM (Airmen’s Notice) announcing that the airspace would no longer be reopened for international flights on 19 August but ‘maybe’ in October. This seems to have reversed the expectations of the expectant.
The NOTAM read:
“The Federal Government has extended the closure of our airports to all international flights with the exception of aircraft in a statement of emergency.”
The NOTAM said that approval may be requested and granted for “over-flights, operations related to humanitarian aids, medical relief flights, alternate aerodrome in the flight plan and also those being used for extended diversion time operation.”
In addition, approved for exemptions are,
“technical landings where passengers do not disembark and cargo flights and other safety-related operations.”
These requests will be sent to the Minister of Aviation, NOTAM said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sirika, on his verified Twitter account, said that the government has been unable to set a date for the reopening of international air flights, “but this may come earlier than October.”
The Minister said that notwithstanding the ban imposed on Nigeria by Europe and the United Arab Emirates, international flights will resume in the country.
He added that the resumption date will be announced after consultation with the appropriate stakeholders, including the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs and the Covid-19 Presidential Task Force.
“International Flight resumption date is not October. NAMA just issued a routine 90-day Notices to Airmen. In liaison with Health, Foreign Affairs, and PTF COVID-19, we will announce the agreed date, regardless of the ban by Europe, UAE, etc. may be earlier than October,” he tweeted.
International Flight resumption date is not October. NAMA just issued a routine 90 day Notices to Airmen (NOTAM). In liaison with Health, Foreign Affairs & PTF COVID-19, we will announce the agreed date, regardless of the ban by Europe, UAE etc. May be earlier than October. 🙏🏽🇳🇬
— Hadi Abubakar Sirika (@hadisirika) July 21, 2020
