FAAN to commence test run before flight resumption
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN has announced it will carryout a test run on airports approved to open for flight Operations.
This is just as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA it is not in the know when flights will resume.
The Managing Director, FAAN, Captain Hamisu Yadudu said the test run of the airports is to know if their arrangements ahead of resumption is water tight and in line with the NCAA checklists.
The FAAN boss who made this known during a webinar put together by the League of Airports and Aviation correspondents LAAC with the theme: Nigeria’s Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies, Captain Yadudu explained that the exercise would help them to identify areas of gaps and expedite action on fixing these identified gaps.
He stated that so far, the checklists as made available to all stakeholders preparatory to flight resumption by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA was carefully being followed and still work in progress, adding that when sure they have put all the checklists in place, the NCAA and other stakeholders would be invited to witness the test run.
The FAAN boss called on stakeholders to continue to work together in the implementation of the Protocols to achieve success in preventing the spread of the pandemic.
” Our protocols are out that we share to the stakeholders, even now our doors are opened for communication for more input if there are any because any document you develop there is no absolute document, there is no absolute response.“A certain component of what we do it has to be retroactive for experience or for new information coming out, so no document is absolute right now, so we have a very good one that AON and stakeholders sent us a feedback that they are happy with it and we only have about one, two corrections but as work goes on if there is any element of correction for adaption from any stakeholder all our doors are opened.”
Also speaking on the compliance on the checklists by airlines, the Director General NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu put the compliance level at 70-75%.Captain Nuhu represented by the Director, Consumer Protection, NCAA, Mallam Adamu Abdullai stated that some airlines have worked very hard to attain 90-95% compliance higher than others.
On the airport compliance to its checklists, he said a standing Committee constituted by the office of the Directorate of Airspace Standards, have been going on inspection of the 5 approved airports billed for opening and what was reported back had been commendable.
“The airports have gone far in the social distancing marks, on the floors, separations, check in counters, toilets, still a lot of work still has to be done.”“We are working with the airlines as regards separation of passengers and despite the fact that airlines would not and may not like it, all we are trying to ensure is that we don’t have a mass of passengers in the terminals.”
Answering questions on whether the opening date of airports put at 21st June would still be feasible, the Director General NCAA, represented by Mallam Abdullahi said, this is dependent on the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
According to him, the NCAA do not have the power to reopen any airport during this period of the pandemic.
He said:” We cannot confirm the new date for resumption of flight. The earlier date given was not sacrosanct. We need to get back to the Presidential Task Force on COVID -19 to affirm any new date. We are awaiting further instructions to be guided. The PTF will decide when domestic flights will resume after it may have lifted the restriction on inter state movement.”
