June 21 Re-Opening Of Airports For Flight Operations Not Certain

The proposed June 21 re-opening of  airports for domestic flight operations may not be feasible due some reasons from different angles.

From the senate, it was gathered that June 21 re-opening of airport for flight operations is unrealistic, following concerns raised by workers in the aviation industry.
Senator Smart Adeyemi, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, stated this when the committee met with officials of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Air Transport Services.
The union officials had raised concerns experienced by the workers from their various employers.
They told the committee, in their separate presentations, that workers had not been paid salaries for some months, while some were paid half or received quarter salary by their various employers since the COVID-19 lockdown began in March.
The aviation workers added that there was the need for a special financial intervention and provision of necessary protocols and protective systems before reopening the airports for operations.
Adeyemi said the Senate was concerned about the issues raised by the aviation workers, adding that the aviation sector is vital to the socio-economic development of any country.
The committee chairman said: “Though you emphasized the need to unlock the airport, but the fact remains that there are quite a number of issues that are begging for answers.
“I do not see how we will allow the airports to be unlocked when you are telling us that some of your colleagues have not been paid for months or that they were paid half salary.
“It will be suicidal to allow you guys to man the facilities, if you are saying that you have not been paid, so we must see how we can address this issue.
According to the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Nuhu Musa, while answering questions during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

Musa on the occasion said "categorically the NCAA will not approve the resumption of flight operations until it gets confirmation that operations can be carried out in a safe and organised atmosphere".

“We never said aviation is going to start definitely on the 21st. We were supposed to put a report back based on what we have and we have some work to do. As such, June 21 is not a feasible date to resume operations.”  There is still a lot of work to be done and it would be disastrous for the country and aviation industry to reopen the airports on that date.

A new date is expected to be announced by the end of June. Musa said.

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