Breaking, Coronavirus: Local Airlines Shut Down Operations

By Charles Igbo

Local Air travellers in Nigeria have been left stranded. They are in for a tough time.

In the face of fewer passengers than before, and the decision of a couple of state Governors not to allow aircrafts bring in passengers into their States, Airlines in Nigeria have decided to shut down their operations locally.

Meaning: There will no longer be local flights, nationwide, at least, for the duration of Coronavirus.

Leading the pack is Nigeria’s oldest airline, Aero Contractors.

It is closing its operations, nationwide, as from Thursday, March the 26th.

Aero will be followed on Friday, the 27th, by Airpeace, Nigeria’s largest airline.

Arik and other Airlines have not yet decided on a shutting down date, but it is not likely to exceed this week.

Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, in a broadcast to Rivers people, said his government would no longer allow any airline to bring in passengers to the state.

Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had, also, advised travellers into Lagos state, by air, land or sea, to reconsider their visit.

A couple of days ago, passengers on an Airpeace flight from Lagos to Kano, were, allegedly, not allowed to disembark from the plane, as shown in a video which went viral.

The Federal Government had, earlier, banned international flights to Nigeria from Burden countries over the deadly Coronavirus. But FAAN issued a statement insisting the ban did not affect local flights.

But as the spread of the Virus gets worse in Nigeria, even road transportation from state to state has been indirectly prohibited by individual state governments. They have also shut down markets, shops, government offices and all schools.

Gradually, Nigeria is being completely shut down.