Photos: Strict social distancing as airlines resume domestic flights today in Lagos, Abuja
Major operators in the airline industry in Nigeria have announced the commencement of domestic flight operations following the reopening of the Lagos and Abuja airports by the federal government.
Nigeria reopened its airspace to local flights from Wednesday, July 8, 2020, after over three months of shutting it down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, all the COVID-19 rules were strictly observed.
One of the operators, Air Peace, said in a statement today that the company has resumed domestic flight services at the Lagos and Abuja airports.
— Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (@FAAN_Official) July 8, 2020
Spokesman of the firm, Mr Stanley Olisa, said Air Peace has taken every necessary measure to safeguard the lives of its staff and passengers, including disinfecting all its aircraft.
He advised its customers to embrace online booking and check-in and make use of its user-friendly Mobile App as a means of minimising physical contact.
Also, he said passengers must always wear their face masks before entering the airport terminal and onboard and are expected to submit themselves for temperature checks and others at the terminal before boarding.
According to him, the company will not leave any stone unturned in protecting air passengers, noting that, “If you’ve been following our social media platforms, you will have seen robust sensitisation content in form of videos showing what is expected of our passengers in this COVID-19 dispensation.”
For another big player in the aviation sector, Dana Air, its management said there would be flight operations three times daily from Lagos to Abuja and back from Thursday.
In a statement issued by the firm, its Chief Operating Officer, Mr Obi Mbanuzuo, declared that “Dana Air is ready to fly safely again from July 9.”
According to him, “We have worked round the clock with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to achieve this safe resumption of flights and we are introducing other initiatives soon in line with the present realities and the need to minimize contacts at the airport.”
“We have disinfected all our aircraft, provided all our staff with the recommended Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), alcohol-based hand sanitisers have been made available at our check-in, boarding gates and onboard the aircraft for guests.
“We have an optimised cleaning protocol in place as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the NCAA,” he added.
