NIGERIA has approved the operations of Lufthansa and Air France/KLM to operate international flights into the country after placing restrictions on foreign airlines during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation revealed in a tweet on Tuesday and also added that Qatar Airways has been granted approval to resume flights to Abuja.
“We are working with Ministry of Health, CACOVID & The PTF to open Kano, Port Harcourt & possibly Enugu airports before the end of the year.
“Also Lufthansa, Air France/KLM have been given go-ahead to resume. Qatar Airways is approved to start Abuja. Thank you for your patience,” he tweeted.
We are working with Ministry of Health, CACOVID & The PTF to open Kano, Port Harcourt & possibly Enugu airports before the end of the year. Also Lufthansa, Air France/KLM has been given go ahead to resume. Qatar Airways is approved to start Abuja. Thank you for your patience🙏🏽🇳🇬
— Hadi Abubakar Sirika (@hadisirika) November 17, 2020
The Minister also hinted at the possibility of opening Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport and Enugu Airport to accommodate foreign travellers before the end of the year.
President Muhammad Buhari in March had ordered the suspension of international flights to curb the influx of imported cases of the COVID-19 virus in the country.
Nigeria had in August vowed to implement a reciprocity clause by banning flights and airlines from countries that put similar bans on flights from Nigeria as nations open their airspace amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airlines include Air France, KLM Royal Dutch, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, RwandAir, Air Namibia, Royal Air Maroc and TAAG Angola.
Some of the airlines were denied permission to enter the country because Nigerians with tourist visas had been banned from entering those countries. The ones that fell under this category include Air France, KLM Royal Dutch, Lufthansa and Etihad Airways.
Amos Abba is a journalist with the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, who believes that courageous investigative reporting is the key to social justice and accountability in the society.