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Evacuation flights end August 25th, international flights resume August 29
**Nations in race to complete planned evacuation
*IATA releases health assessment guidelines for air travel
All evacuation flights introduced in the wake of coronavirus that led to closure of international airspace will come to an end on August 25th, 2020 as the Federal Government announced the resumption of international flights from August 29, 2020.
As a result, many countries are racing against time to conclude scheduled evacuation flights while allowing citizens to plan their scheduled travels themselves.
A source who works with a European country said they need to speed up all arrangements to bring to an end emergency flights in line with the pronouncement of the Federal Governmen to end such flights next week Tuesday.
Since the closure of airspace on March 23rd, 2020, many people only travelled under the emergency evacuation programme of the government which allowed operations of cargoes, medical equipment and travel by people who wanted to be with their families among others.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika made the announcement on the micro-blogging site, Twitter on Monday evening.
“Glad to announce the resumption of international flights from August 29, 2020, “Beginning with Lagos and Abuja as we did with the domestic flight resumption,” he tweeted
The Minister of Aviation added that all protocols must be observed.
“Protocols and procedures will be announced in due course. We thank you for your patience,” he added.
The Minister said Nigeria’s international airports have Reached advanced stages of preparedness for the resumption of international flight operations.
Meanwhile, Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, Dr. James Odaudu in a statement said as a result, all evacuation flights which were introduced in the country in the wake of the ban on international flights occasioned by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, will end on 25th August 2020.
He further disclosed that, like it was done during the resumption of domestic flights across the country, international flights would commence with the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
Emphasis, he stated, will be placed on the observation of all the safety and technical guidelines as prescribed by global and health authorities which will be communicated in due course.
“I am pleased to announce the resumption of international flights from the 29th of August, 2020. Beginning with Lagos and Abuja as we did with the domestic flight resumption. Protocols and procedures will be announced in due course. We thank you for your patience” the Minister said.
Preparations are in top gear by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, ahead of reopening of the the Murtala Mohammed International airport Lagos.
Though the Federal government is yet to announce the lifting of ban on international travel, FAAN is being proactive to ensure passengers are safe and secured when flight resumes.
To this end, some top Management staff of the agency today inspected Covid-19 facilities at the airport to ascertain their preparedness for resumption.
The South West airports manager and MMIA airport Manager, Mrs. Victoria Shinaba who conducted the management staff round the airport said it is still work in progress.
Manager, Public Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu said the floor markings and barricades outside the terminal had been done.
“We are installing hand sanitizer dispensers, hand washing contactless taps and the luggage area disinfection is also been worked.”
Work on the male and female convenience as well as lighting is also reported to be ongoing.
In a related development, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released an airline self-assessment health checklist to support the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) take-off guidance for air travel through the COVID-19 public health crisis.
The Take-off guidance is the global standard framework of risk-based temporary measures for governments and the air transport value chain for safe operations during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Safety is always the number one priority for air transport. And the challenges of COVID-19 have added a new dimension to our efforts.
Developed with input from industry, public health authorities and governments, ICAO’s Take-off guidance is the global standard for safe operations.
IATA’s self-assessment checklist is a practical implementation guide to help airlines comply,” said IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.
“A harmonized approach to health is key not only to the recovery of civil aviation but also to ‘building back better,’ which is crucially important to ensuring the future resilience of the aviation network. IATA’s health checklist for airlines will be of importance in terms of providing momentum for the implementation of the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) recommendations, of which harmonization and resilience are the guiding principles,’’ said ICAO’s Council President, Salvatore Sciacchitano.
The IATA Health Safety Checklist for Airline Operators provides the standards and recommended practices (IHSARPs), associated guidance material and other supporting information necessary for an operator to self-assess. Sections cover:
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