The Aviation sectors is to witness a boost in its revenue as the minister of aviation Hadi Sirika has revealed plans by the federal government to resume international flights in Amino kano international airport, from April 5, 2021.
Sirika said the Port Harcourt Airport would resume 15 April 2021, while Enugu resumes 3 March 2021.
Speaking at the Presidential Task Force, PTF briefing on Monday, Sirika, assured that everything necessary for the resumption of international flights would be made available in the Airports.
The federal government had in March 2020 during the outbreak of covid-19 ordered the closure of all international airports in Nigeria. The Namadi Azikiwe airport,Abuja, and the Murtala Mohammed International airport Lagos, had in September 2020 resumed international flight operations after the ease of the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Great concerns have been raised over the effect of the continued suspension of international flights to and fro the Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt international airport by passengers and service providers as the Aviation Sectors Revenue has greatly been affected.
Speaking on the covid-19 prevention and safety measures, the minister of Aviation has disclosed the banning of Emirates Airline from operation for non-Adherence to flight measures.
He said KLM and Emirate have been given the two options of providing passengers PCR test 72 hours before departure or within 72 hour of departure and have a repeat PCR test on arrival or have a rapid test before departure and have a PCR test on arrival but not a combination of the three to avoid difficulty and putting the passengers through hardship.
He noted that KLM have been approved to carry passengers in and out of the country because they have accepted to give a PCR test between 72 hours but Emirates did not accept the position, so Emirates has been banned from inbound and outbound flight from midnight Wednesday until they agree to meet the condition.
“From midnight Wednesday Emirate bad been banned from operation until they agree to meet the condition, they have been banned on inbound and outbound flight and that has been communicated to them since yesterday. However KLM have been accepted to start immediately and they are allowed to do so” he concluded.
