Nigeria restricts international flights to Lagos, Abuja as NCAA suspends inspections on aircraft
Samson Echenim is business a.m. correspondent providing coverage for maritime, aviation, travels and hospitality. A former business correspondent at the Punch and Leadership newspapers, he has a vast experience in business reporting. Samson can be reached on samhapp2000@yahoo.com and +2348037363024
Nigeria has restricted all international flights into the country to her two flagship international airports, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The country’s aviation regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in a letter to airliners said other international airports in the country, including the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport and Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu would be closed to all international flights.
This is as the aviation regulator said it had taken steps to protect its workforce from the scourge of Coronavirus by suspending all pending inspections, trainings and various exchange programmes in involving foreign trips.
Musa Nuhu, director-general of NCAA, who signed the letter to airline owners, dated March 19, said international flights restriction to only Lagos and Abuja was consequent upon the Nigerian government’s travel ban on 13 countries, adding that the directive would take effect from 12am, March 21.
Nigeria on Friday extended the travel ban to two more countries, Sweden and Austria. The country had suspended travels from the UK, US, China, Netherlands, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland.
Nuhu said all persons arriving Nigeria who might have visited the countries affected by the travel ban 15 days prior to arrival, would tested and isolated for 14 days.
“The travel restriction is applicable to all flight crew from the affected countries. All operators wishing to operate into Nigeria are required to operate with two sets of flight crew; one set to operate into Nigeria and one set to operate out of Nigeria,” he stated.
On Thursday, the NCAA said it was taking steps to protect its workforce from the Coronavirus by suspending all pending inspections on aircrafts, trainings and all exchange programmes in involving foreign trips.
Sam Adurogboye, general manager, Public Relations, said the authority had issued detailed guidelines for officers of the authority, who have recently travelled abroad to self-isolate for 14 days among sundry other measures upon their return to Nigeria.
This is just as a directive for compilation of details of all NCAA staff already on any official assignments or trainings to a country where there is community transmission of COVID-19.
The compilation, NCAA SAIS is to be forwarded to the Office of the Director General and the General Manager, Aero Medical Standards, adding that as a corollary, all pending inspections, trainings and various exchange programmes in involving foreign trips are suspended forthwith.
