Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has revealed that the proposed June 21 date for the reopening of domestic flight operations in Nigeria was not feasible.
Sirika disclosed this during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja and added that the resumption of flight operations would not be approved by Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) until the body is totally convinced that it is safe to commence flight operations at airports across the country.
The Avaiation Minister was represented by the NCAA Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu at the briefing.
The Presidential Task Force Coordinator, Sani Aliyu, on June 1 asked the stakeholders of aviation industry to put in place protocols for the reopening of domestic flights anytime from June 21.
He said: “June 21 is not a feasible date to resume domestic operations. The civil aviation authority, despite pressures coming from all quarters, will not approve the start any day until we are sure and we confirm that we are ready to start in a safe, secure, organised and efficient manner. To do otherwise is disastrous for all of us.
“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.
“We are not too far, we are close but there is a need for the timing to ensure that we are ready, positively, and absolutely ready to start work.”
