Reopening: FAAN says non-travelling passengers won’t be allowed into airport building

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says passengers who are not travelling won’t be allowed into the airport terminal building when commercial flights resume.

“COVID-19 flight resumption protocol for passengers: Non-travelling passengers will not be allowed into the airport terminal building,” the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

This means that only passengers with valid travel documents will be allowed inside the airport terminal building.

This directive is part of the FAAN’s measures to ensure smooth operations when airports reopen and commercial flights resume.

The presidential task force on COVID-19 (PTF) had announced June 21, 2020, as the tentative date for the resumption of domestic flights.

The task force, however, said flight resumption would be dependent on the readiness of aviation agencies and airlines.

It also said safety measures and protocols provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) must be put in place.

In adherence to the federal government directives, the FAAN advised passengers to maintain a distance of two metres apart at the airports and said that persons without face masks would not be allowed into the airports’ premises.

FAAN, on June 15, 2020, also advised passengers to arrive at the airports three hours before flight take off.

This, it said, would enable efficient checks before passengers board the plane.

The federal government had on March 23, 2020, shut all airports in the country to seize operations in order to contain the spread of COVID-19 exempting essential flights.