THE Federal Government on Wednesday announced that it is no longer feasible to re-open domestic airports which had earlier been slated to open on June 21.
Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, was reported to have announced the cancellation of the date of resumption of domestic flights on the ground that adequate measures were not fully in place.
According to a report by The Punch, the minister spoke through Musa Nuhu, Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at the daily COVID-19 briefing in Abuja.
Nuhu said pressures coming from different quarters would not push the ministry into making hasty decisions.
“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,” Nuhu said.
He added that acting otherwise action would be disastrous for the aviation authority and Nigerians at large.
“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,” Nuhu noted.
The Federal Government had closed down all airports in the country to both domestic and international flights as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
But the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on June 3 in a memo disclosed that five domestic airports will be reopened for business after three months of being barred from operating as a response to contain the spread of Coronavirus pandemic ( COVID-19).
The domestic airports to be reopened include Omagwa International Airport, Port Harcourt, Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94