Aviation Daily!

There had been reports that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had selected October 15 as the resumption date for international flights. In a tweet on Tuesday, the minister of Aviation said the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) only issued a routine 90-day notice to airmen (NOTAM). “International flight resumption date is not October. NAMA just issued a routine 90-day notice to airmen (NOTAM),” he wrote. “In liaison with health, foreign affairs & PTF COVID-19, we will announce the agreed date, regardless of the ban by Europe, UAE etc.and it may be earlier than October.”

Most people worry about the safety of the cabin air. For most modern aircraft types, the air supplied to the passenger cabin is either 100% fresh or is a mixture of fresh and re-circulated air that is filtered through HEPA Filters  of the same efficacy (99.97% or better) in removing viruses as those used in surgical operating rooms.   While the risk of catching an infection on an aircraft is typically lower than in a shopping center or an office environment, there are simple measures you can take to further reduce the risk of illness if you are traveling. These include practicing hand hygiene by washing them regularly with soap or an alcohol-based sanitizer, and not touching your face, especially eyes, nose, and mouth. While you must not travel when you are ill, should you experience symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness during or after a trip, seek medical attention and share your travel history with your health care provider. Most governments also provide clea...

Domestic flights resumed today in Nigeria with operations between Lagos and Abuja. This was following the three month break forced by the Corona-virus pandemic. However, the turnout of passengers was low as witnessed at the Murtala Mohammed Domestic Airport. Passengers were seen wearing face masks, observing social distancing and adhering to other COVID-19 protocols. It was gathered that only five airlines have been given approval to fly. The approved airlines are believed to be Air Peace ,Aero contractors ,Dana,Arik and Ibom Air.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced the new dates for resumption of flights on Wednesday.  Domestic flights will resume on July 8, this was according to a press statement signed by the Ministry of Aviation’s spokesperson, James Odaudu, Mr Sirika also disclosed that only the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos will commence operations on July 8. The Kano, Port Harcourt, Owerri, and Maiduguri airports will reopen to flights on July 11, while other airports across the country will join on the July 15.

The European Union has decided that from Wednesday EU borders will be reopened to citizens from 15 non-EU countries, including Canada, Morocco and Australia, but not the US, Brazil and Russia. China is on the list, but subject to a reciprocal agreement, still pending. The unanimous decision by the European Council is not legally binding, so states can choose not to open up to all those countries. Diplomats spent five days debating the list, amid varying pandemic concerns. The so-called "safe travel destinations" are, besides China: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The UK and four other non-EU states - Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - are automatically included as "safe".

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Saturday conducted a test run of robots at the International Airport in Lagos. The robots are expected to facilitate passengers processing and reduce human interaction as much as possible. If successful, the robots would be deployed at other airports in the Country as well.  The robots are expected to conduct temperature checks, passenger profiling and as well as checks for dangerous goods on travelers. In other news, the Managing director of FAAN ,Captain Rabiu Yadudu also announced that as part of the measures to ensure safe travel and passage of passengers in the Airport terminal, no two flights would be allowed to depart at the same time. As at of the time of this report it was not yet clear how this would be achieved as Captain Yadudu also insisted that no airline flight schedule would be disrupted.

Several bodies are putting plans and test operations in place in response to the federal government's initiative. Airlines, Handling companies and numerous agencies are all coming together with exercises to meet up with the aviation minister's requirements. As part of preparations, Air Peace deployed all its aircraft to the skies, flying to Abuja, Port Harcourt and back to Lagos without passengers. These flights were aimed at ensuring that the aircraft are in tip-top condition, having been grounded for close to three months though they have been under very strict storage maintenance. The spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, who disclosed this to journalists, said the shakedown flights were part of the measures the airline has developed to guarantee the safety of both passengers and crew when operations resume. He noted that the aircraft have been in storage mode for a couple of months and extensive maintenance checks have been carried out to keep them up to the required ...