Some airlines operating in Nigeria have extended flight cancellations following the 24 hours curfew imposed by Lagos State government as a result of the #EndSARS protests.
BusinessDay’s checks show that although the airspace is not shut down to essential flights but airlines have had to extend flight cancellations and reschedule.
Adebanji Ola, Public relations and Communications Manager Arik Air in a statement said the airline extended the cancellation of flight operations due to the curfew in Lagos state and some other parts of the country.
“All scheduled flights have therefore been cancelled until the lifting of the 24 hours curfew by government.
The airline had earlier cancelled all scheduled flights for Wednesday, October 21, 2020 due to the 24 hours curfew announced by the Lagos State government on Tuesday.
“Arik Air regrets whatever inconvenience the cancellations may have caused our esteemed customers. Further updates on flight operations will be given as required,” Ola stated.
Virgin Atlantic has announced that it’s flights from Lagos on 21st October and it’s return flight from Lagos to London on 22nd October has been cancelled.
RwandAir also announced that it’s flights inbound/outbound Lagos from on 21st October was also cancelled.
On Tuesday, Delta Airlines Flight DL 54 from Atlanta, United States, heading to Lagos on Tuesday was forced to return to America following the ongoing #EndSARS protests in Nigeria.
A source close to the airline told BusinessDay that following the 24-hour curfew imposed by the Lagos State Government with effect from 4pm of on Tuesday, Delta flights in and out of Lagos on Wednesday will be cancelled.
The source added that the airline will continue to see how events unfold to know when to resume flights into Lagos.
For the past two weeks, thousands of Nigerian youths have been on the streets demanding an end to police brutality, disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian police and comprehensive police reforms.
The protests have paralysed activities and disrupted traffic on major roads in many cities. In places where vehicular movements are not disrupted, residents battle with gridlock, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power.
Nigerians had long launched a campaign online with the #EndSARS hashtag. The campaign trended across the world two weeks ago after celebrities volunteered to lead the protests against harassment and incessant killing of citizens by SARS.
