Buhari Plans to Reopen Nigerian Airspace to International Flights

The Federal Government has said it would reopen the nation’s airspace to international flights in few weeks.

Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

The Airspace was closed in March to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. However, with economies gradually reopening despite lack of a viable vaccine for the ravaging coronavirus, President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has decided to join other global nations and reopen the Nigerian airspace to international flight operations.

This was after Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace announced it would be letting go 70 pilots due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the airline financial position.

Also, earlier this week Bristow Helicopter announced it would let go about 100 pilots and engineers as it can no longer support them financially. This series of sacks in the aviation sector likely prompted the Federal Government to reconsider its position on airspace lockdown.

Sirika said, “So we really want to open. But we can’t open alone, for within the space where we operate we’ve got all kinds of people there in the airports.

“We’ve got immigration, police, Customs, civil defense, port health, etc, and so the PTF has set up a technical committee to come up with a date when everybody will be happy to start.”

The minister added, “So we will open as soon as all of us are happy to open. And I want to adopt what the coordinator has said; it will be in weeks rather than in months.”

Sirika, however, urged Nigerians not to blame officials for the current situation in the aviation sector.

He said, “On the question about the reopening of the airports, I will like to use this medium to reiterate and to be consistent with what we’ve been saying. I want people to understand that this is not purely an aviation function.

“It also has to do with our health and is so huge that it made Mr. President in his wisdom to set up the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. This is in the interest of the nation.”