Indications emerged at the weekend that the Federal Government will reopen the nation’s airspace shortly with the flight test flight of facilities at Abuja and Lagos airports on Saturday.
This is as Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, said that government’s palliatives for the industry would be announced this week.
However, a source close to the industry confided in our correspondent that the Federal Government might have approved the sum of N27billion as palliatives for the whole aviation industry, including the airlines.
At the test run of the facilities on Saturday at the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, Sirika and members of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19 pandemic said the industry was ready for reopening.
Speaking with journalists at the airport, Sirika stated that 90 per cent of activities in the sector were not seen to the public, maintaining that the sector was ready.
The minister, however, declined to be specific on the actual date the airspace would be reopened for flight services.
“90 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. We are set to open.”
On palliatives for the industry, Sirika explained that the Federal Government would this week announce its stimulus packages for the sector.
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He emphasised that the announcement on the actual amount to be given to the sector to cushion the effect of the pandemic would be made in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance.
But, a source disclosed that the government might have approved the sum of N27billion for the sector.
“Government is coming with the palliative very soon in conjunction with the CBN and the Ministry of Finance. By next week (as from today), 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 huge like people expect.”
Meanwhile, the PTF on COVID-19 expressed satisfaction with the handling of the test flight from Abuja ahead of the restart plan of the aviation industry, stating that the industry was ready, but like Sirika, declined to give a timeline or date for restart.
Dr. Sani Aliyu, Coordinator PTF COVID-19, gave his assessment when he arrived with Sirika on an Aero Contractors flight from Abuja after undergoing the same process at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
He said: “’Aviation is a highly regulated sector and this is the new normal. Things have changed because we have a disease killing people.
“The aviation industry has shown what they have done as an industry and now it is left to Nigerians to do what they need 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.”
