Palliative for aviation ready soon, says Minister

**Sector ready for flight resumption

The much awaited bailout for the aviation industry is set to be announced any time from now according to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

There are indications that the Federal Government had concluded the decision to assist the sector with $57.8 million.

Sirika, at a Press briefing after a test flight from Abuja to Lagos to ensure everything is in place for the restart.

“Ninety per cent of what we do in civil aviation is not seen by people like the Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range ( VOR) and other safety systems put in place but aviation is ready, I don’t want to give a timeline but when we are set to open, we open.

On palliatives,  the minister  said in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Ministry of Finance the amount for the palliative will be announced soon.

” Government is coming with the palliative very soon in conjunction with the CBN and the Ministry of Finance, by next week we will come out with the amount and palliative will be announced within the week. Within the economic sustainability plan. It will go round the entire civil aviation but may not be necessarily cadf like people expect.”

Meanwhile,  Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has expressed satisfaction with the handling of the test flight from Abuja ahead of the restart plan of the aviation industry stating that the industry is ready but will not give a timeline or date for restart

The coordinator PTF COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu who gave his assessment  when he arrived with the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika on an aero contractors flight from Abuja after undergoing the same process at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.

He said,” The PTF gave aviation…. Aviation is a highly regulated sector and this is the new normal. Things have changed and things have changed because we have a disease killing people.

” The aviation industry industry has shown what they have done as an industry and now it is left to Nigerians to do what they need to to be safe.

” While aviation has done tremendously well, what will protect you is yourself and we equally will make sure Nigerians can be safe when they fly.