As stakeholders prepare for the reopening of the nation’s airspace that has been shut down to commercial flights since March, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been asked to prepare for hourly disinfection of airports when flights resume.
A stakeholder and former Managing Director of the defunct Virgin Nigeria Airways, Capt. Dapo Olumide said the airports need to be disinfected every hour once they are reopened for flights.
Aviation authorities have begun preparations for the reopening of the airspace.
Barring any last minute change, domestic flights operations may resume across the country by the first or second week of June after two months’ shutdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has already held series of meetings with airline operators as well as service providers including Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and other stakeholders to work out modalities for safe and secure resumption of flights.
Our correspondent learnt that a comprehensive guideline has been developed for seamless reopening of airspace starting with domestic operations.
It was gathered that the NCAA had already issued an advisory circular to all the operating airlines to draw up their post COVID-19 operation manual. An airline operator said,
“All things being equal, June is feasible for the resumption of flights. The NCAA has already issued us an advisory circular stipulating what they expect from us, what each airline must put in place before we can start operations.”
But speaking at an Aviation webinar yesterday, Olumide said constant disinfection of the airports is imperative to protect the passengers and airport workers and prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
Olumide noted that with the COVID-19 experience, it would get to a time when airport certification around the world would incorporate the preparedness for disease outbreaks.
According to him, the United State Category One certification is basically about safety but it will get to a point where such certification would include the health procedures at the airport.
