Impounded Flair Jet crew quizzed, to undergo 14 day quarantine
The Federal Government is making good its threat to deal decisively with crew that flew in an unauthorized flight to the country by subjecting the pilots to 14 days quarantine.
Just two day ago, a visibly angry Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika broke the news of the violation of flight approval given to a British based Flair Jet on his Twitter handle, saying the government would get to the root of the matter.
Specifically, Flair Air operated a commercial flight as against the humanitarian operations it was given approval to operate to Nigeria. The aircraft is currently grounded in Lagos.
Woleshadarenews learnt that the aircraft came in from Cotonou, Benin Republic at 12:13p.m on Sunday. and was immediately grounded.The aircraft was operated by Flair Jet.
A source close to the Ministry of Aviation said security agents had begun the interrogation of the British crew to ascertain while they decided to conduct illegal flight operations from the country by deceiving government that it was conducting humanitarian flights which are the only flights allowed following the shutdown of Nigeria’s airspace occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.
This is coming as the federal government says it has quarantined the pilots of a British airline that flouted Nigeria’s ban on commercial flights.
Sirika, while also speaking today at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 said the airline had applied to operate humanitarian flights but was “charging money to fly people in and out.”
“We believe that the whole essence of lockdown is to ensure there is no movement of persons freely, because this COVID-19 happened because someone travelled and brought it in. If you want to catch fish, empty the water. So, this shouldn’t happen,” he said.
“We are investigating the matter right now. It will finish very soon. The pilots will be subjected to 14-day quarantine while investigation goes on. The aircraft is impounded in Lagos. And the crew are British nationals,
“Whatever is there in our laws will be applied to the fullest.”
The federal government barred international flights into the country on March 23 as part of efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak. Only essential flights are allowed to operate at the airports.
A source close to the Ministry of Aviation, who preferred anonymity, said the minister was irked by huge lies by airlines to conduct humanitarian flight services into the country only to discover that they engage in commercial operations.
According to the source, “Clearance and approval for essential/humanitarian operations as a result of COVID-19 becomes illegal when it is then converted into commercial operations for hire and reward.”
Our correspondent learnt that many operators, including wealthy Nigerians, hide under the ‘Emergency and Humanitarian’ flight permits window granted by the Federal Government to critical flight services to violate President Muhammadu Buhari’s order to bring down the spread of the deadly virus.
Not only do they violate the President’s directive, the deception of hiding under such essential flights makes the Ministry of Aviation to grant permission to enter the country’s airspace; a breach of the country’s internal security.
Granting of flight clearance and approval to any airline or aircraft under the current airspace restriction is herculean task because the operating aircraft would be required to undergo rigorous scrutiny to ensure that it was flying in to conduct the operations which it was approved.
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