FG Denies Approval To Reopening Airports On June 21

By Akinwale Kasali

In a surprising about-face, the Presidential Task Force, PTF,  on Covid-19, headed by the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha , has  denied asking domestic flights to resume operations as from June 21, 2020.

The National Coordinator of PTF,  Dr Sani Aliyu, stated this during the daily press briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, the Aviation Ministry was asked to prepare for reopening,  and update the Task Force.

Aliyu stressed that reopening airports, would also mean a reassessment of inter-state travel restrictions and curfews.

“As you know, the Aviation Industry is highly regulated, there are things they must do before they start flying, such as retraining of pilots, recalibrating the aircrafts and ensuring safety across the board, as well as measures we need to impose at the airports to make sure that people are safe.

“If they come back to us and say they are ready from June 21 onwards, we will open the skies for domestic travels. And that’s when we will address the issue of inter-state restrictions and curfew. But for the moment, there’s no plan right now, to say June 21 here we go,” he said.

This development has dashed the hope of  air travellers, stranded due to the ban on air travels, and have been waiting anxiously for the earlier stated date for the resumption of air travel in the country.