Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has announced that 14 domestic airports in the country are now fully operational and that “ministerial approvals in and out of the airports are not required.”

 “Glad to announce that the following airports are open for full domestic operations, hence ministerial approval in and out of them not required. This includes private and charter operations. We will keep you informed on the remaining airports in due course,” he twitted.

Sirika added that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja were approved for domestic operations on July 8.

“Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa; Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri; and Maiduguri Airport, Maiduguri, resumed on July 11.

Victor Attah Airport, Uyo, opened on July 15, while Kaduna Airport, Kaduna; Yola Airport, Yola; Margaret Ekpo Airport, Calabar; and Sultan Abubakar Airport, Sokoto, received approval to begin operations on July 19.

Birnin Kebbi Airport resumed on July 20, while Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos; and Benin Airport, Benin were given approvals to resume operations on the 24th of July.

Taking advantage of more airports’ operational status, Arik Air is resuming flight operations to  Mallam  Aminu Kano  International Airport, Kano, and Yola Airport effective Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Both services will originate from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja with connections to and from Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

Adebanji Ola, the Public Relations & Communications Manager of the carrier through a statement explained: “Arik Air will operate separate flights from Abuja to Kano and Yola. Flights from Abuja to Kano will operate four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday while flights from Abuja to Yola will operate thrice-weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Passengers traveling from Lagos can connect seamlessly to these services from Abuja.”

The airline reiterates its assurance to passengers of their safety and well-being at every stage of their flight, as the airline has put various measures in place in line with  COVID-19  health protocols as recommended by the  World  Health Organisation (WHO), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The airline reminds passengers to use their face masks at every stage of their flights and arrive at least one and a half hours before their scheduled departure time.

The Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu said: “We are delighted to recommence services to Kano and Yola following the approval for the reopening of the airports by the NCAA. “We shall continue to review our operations as more airports are given official permission to reopen to ensure we serve our customers efficiently.”