The Ministry of Aviation on Monday announced that Nigeria’s Airports will not be reopened on April 23rd as earlier scheduled, but they will remain shut for an additional two weeks.
According to the Director of Public Affairs in the ministry, James Odaudu, quoting the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in a statement, “As a result of the extension on lockdown by Mr President, it is no longer possible for us to open our airspace and airports for normal operations by the 23rd April 2020.”
InsideOjodu recalls that President Buhari had on Monday, April 13 extended a lockdown in Lagos and Ogun states as well as the Federal Capital territory Abuja by two weeks.
Meanwhile, the international airports in the country had been shut as part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country before the lockdown.
Despite pushing back the reopening of the airports in view of the lockdown extension, the aviation minister said the decision is subject to review as appropriate.
Sirika appealed to air travellers and all stakeholders in the aviation industry to see the current situation as sacrifices necessary to safeguard the health and well-being of the people, with the hope that the pandemic will be short-lived.
The country currently has 627 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 infections.