Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has said domestic flights would fully resume at Kano, Maiduguri, Benin, and other airports across the nation on July 15.
Sirika, who made this known while addressing newsmen at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano [ MAKIAK] on Saturday, however, said that any airport not yet ready would be given enough time to prepare not to risk people’s lives.
He commended the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority [NCAA] and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria [FAAN] for measures put in place at the airports to curtail the spreading of COVID-19.
The minister led a team of aviation industry stakeholders and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja to MAKIAK on a simulation exercise with Max Air Flight.
He said the two organisations had done extremely well on physical distancing and good hygiene being established and properly followed at the nation`s airports.
“I am very glad and I think the NCAA and FAAN have done extremely very well under our watch to ensure that everything we put in place on physical distancing and good hygiene is being established and followed.
“So, we believe this airport is one of those airports that are safe to operate in and out during this COVID-19. I am happy with what I saw and it is good enough for us to go, “ the minister said.
Sen. Smart Adeyemi, Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, commended the Aviation Ministry for good supervision to ensure the right things were done towards safety to ensure COVID -19 was not spread at the airports.
“Quite a measure of things have been put in place as far as this airport is concerned to ensure that there is adequate protection and safety for passengers who will be coming in and going out.
Meanwhile, there are indications that a total of 18 local operators have submitted formally application for the N27b aviation bailout fund proposed by the Federal Government.
Three operating commercial airlines – Dana Air, Max Air, and Azman Air – were among the 18 that have sent requests to the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] for consideration. Conspicuously absent as at press time yesterday, were Air Peace, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Ibom Air, and Overland Airways.
But included on the list are scheduled and non-scheduled airlines that quit operations about two years before COVID-19. There are also arguments that some of them still hold valid Air Operator Certificates [AOC] that qualifies them as operating airlines.
In a related development, commercial flights to Port Harcourt International Airport [PHIA], Omagwa, Rivers State, yesterday, resumed with airlines reconnecting the region with Lagos and Abuja. One of the airlines that reopened the route, Arik Air, operated the first flight at 7:00 am, and scheduled another for 3:00 pm. from Lagos.
As parts of efforts to mitigate the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and attendant lockdown of the airspace, the Federal Government pledged to support the entire aviation sector with bailout funds in the form of the soft loan of not more than five percent interest rate.
The lump sum, which also includes the operators and service providers, was in lieu of about N180b estimated to have been lost during the three months of lockdown.
Apparently fast becoming a reality, though belated, the airlines submitted applications to designated Lagos and Abuja offices, under the aegis of the Airlines Operators of Nigeria [AON].
Among the applicants that submitted are; Dornier Airlines, OAS Helicopters, Omniblu Aviation, Quorum, Allied Air, Top Brass, TAL, ANAP Jets, West Link, Jed Air, Executive Jets, Kings Airlines and First Nation Airways.
Others are Dana Air, Max Air Limited, Skyjet Aviation Services Limited, Skypower Express Airways. The documents were submitted and delivered to the coordinator, Allen Onyema, who is the Chairman of Air Peace, for onward delivery to the CBN Governor on behalf of AON.
AON Chairman, Captain Noggie Meggison, said what the airlines were asking for was grants, “the same way it is done in the United States to save many airlines from the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry.”
Meggison regretted that many airlines might not come back to operations because of the huge impact the deadly disease and closure of airspace had done to not only the aviation industry, but all sectors of the country’s economy.
He said: “Aviation is a catalyst for economic growth. It is one of the sectors that should not be allowed to go under. It is a big sector like telecommunications, agriculture, and education among others.
The government needs to help us. We are not talking about a palliative that the government is planning for the entire sector, but grants to assist the carriers.”
Meggison admitted that the government was equally looking for money to meet many of its obligations, but pleaded that the carriers needed assistance to surmount many challenges they currently face.
“When we compare to that of Abuja we discovered that the departure needs few things to be put in place.
“A lot of campaign still needs to be done within and outside the airport against the spread of COVID-19. With this exception, I know they have done the best that is required of them, “he said.