As announced by the Nigerian government two weeks ago, domestic flights will resume in the country next Sunday, 21st of June.
Having in mind the conditions pronounced by the government that airlines will have to adhere to all necessary industry regulations, many airlines have been preparing to ensure they are ready on Sunday and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has named five airports where flights will resume that day. They are Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport and Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri.
These airports still remain closed to International flights, as part of the COVID-19 restriction protocols.
It is ironic that it is only the local air routes that are opening in Nigeria on Sunday. That is in spite of the fact that this is June – Summer! In normal times, everyone, including those from places that do not have summer in their weather schedule, will want to go on summer holidays. So where are the summer holiday people this year? Where can they go anyway? You arrive in your destination and go into isolation for 14 days before you start whatever has taken you there. Before you know it, the days are gone. And then when you return to your home country, another 14-day isolation. So what did you gain? Nothing. So the popular summer holiday junket is another victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
Modalities for the domestic flight resumption include appropriate pricing of tickets. This is in view of expectations that operations by airlines and the passenger numbers as well as load factor will drop and could take time before they pick up, since intra-state movement ban is still in force.
Airline operators have been warned by the Nigerian authorities to adhere strictly to all necessary industry regulations, as the resumption of flights would be premised on the implementation of the approved protocols for safe operations of the airlines. Reports indicate that consultations have been ongoing between the Ministry of Aviation and the stakeholders in the aviation sector to find the best way to profitably operate while ensuring passengers’ security.
To avoid any mishap during this resumption and knowing that most of these aircraft have been on ground for more than three months without flying, it is expected that the Aviation authorities would be ensuring that such planes are airworthy and certified fit to fly. The same goes for the pilots.
All these are necessary because an air mishap added to COVID-19 fatalities at this time will just be too much to bear, as we saw with last month’s crash in Pakistan, where a Pakistan International Airline Airbus A-320 aircraft, with 99 people on board, crashed in the Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on May 22, killing 98 people, just as that country was relaxing its COVID-19 restrictions.
The Pakistan government has formed a joint investigation team to step up the pace of the probe into the crash of the plane belonging to PIA, which is their national carrier. The accident is one of the worst in Pakistan’s aviation history.
Many are sure that it is best to eliminate lack of operation of the airline and crew due to the COVID-19 lockdown as the cause of the crash and confirm whether the maintenance system of aircraft had been deteriorating day by day during the period.
The PIA mishap is the first major aircraft crash in Pakistan after December 7, 2016 when a PIA ATR-42 aircraft from Chitral to Islamabad crashed halfway. That crash claimed the lives of all 48 passengers and the crew.
Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has advised passengers to ensure they arrive at the airport as from Sunday at least three hours before their take-off time, as new measures have been put in place ahead of resumption of the domestic flights. The early arrival by travelers is to enable efficient checks and screening before boarding.
All passengers are expected to comply with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s COVID-19 protocols; for instance, persons not wearing face masks will not be allowed into any of the airports. Travelers are also expected to maintain two-metre distance from each other at the airports while waiting.
While Nigeria is just opening its domestic airspace for commercial flights, many foreign airlines are already flying and hoping to recoup a little bit of their losses after the shut-down. But there are more rules to obey while flying this time internationally as the world slowly opens up to air travel again.
Such airlines are already hopping between major cities in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. Right now you can fly to London, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Manila in The Philippines and Islamabad and Karachi in Pakistan. Other European cities like Vienna, Austria; Copenhagen, Denmark; Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Madrid, Spain; Zürich, Switzerland; Manchester, UK; as well as destinations like Brisbane and Perth in Australia; New York; Bahrain; Dubai; Jakarta; Singapore; Kuala Lumpur; Seoul; Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei are all bubbling with flights.
Some of the protocols for international flights include mandatory masks inflight, while gloves are recommended by some airlines.
Online check-in services are currently unavailable for many airlines who are also insisting on passenger arrival at the airport 3 hours before flights. Hand luggage are also not encouraged for flights and there will be other screenings and checks. Physical distancing is, of course a must at the airports and no group gatherings are allowed.
All airlines say they are taking additional measures at the airports and on board to ensure the health and safety of their staff, airport workers and passengers, who are made to sign undertakings on adherence to the quarantine procedures when it becomes necessary. Passengers fill forms in which they declare that they were notified about the health procedures and the medical advices that they should follow, and that they are aware of the risks that could happen to the community in case they are not committed to those procedures, for the sake of public health. Such passengers will declare that they will not leave the quarantine and will not get in contact with others until the required health measures are met. The duration of the quarantine is 14 days, starting from the date identified by health authority.
The information in the forms is aimed at helping public health officers to contact each passenger if it turns out they were exposed to a communicable disease during their flight.
As Nigeria resumes domestic flights, there is no doubt that many citizens stranded at home or abroad are hoping that it would not be too long before the air space is fully opened, so that they can travel back to their bases to meet their families and run their businesses which would have suffered while they got caught up by lockdown at home or wherever they traveled to, since March 2020.
IMAGE CREDIT: ncaa.gov.ng, twitter
Epa Ogie Eboigbe, veteran journalist, broadcaster and public affairs specialist writes on, and analyses current and historical issues with a ‘wise pen’.
Ogie, you have an impressive and intimidating resume