Turkish Airlines says it will resume flight operations to Nigeria on May 25 following the disruption of the company’s operations.
In a report by NAN on Friday, the airline said the decision came after discussions with officials from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) during which they assessed its request.
“Due to actions at our counter at the Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport that jeopardised our flight safety and continued for four days, we had to cancel our scheduled flights to Lagos as of Tuesday, May 21,” Turkish Airlines said.
“Turkish Airlines, prioritising the safety and security of its passengers and crew, will resume flights to Nigeria on Saturday, May 25, as it has done since 2006.
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“As long as the NCAA and FAAN authorities take the necessary precautions and maintain safety of flights, crew, Turkish Airlines Lagos personnel, and passengers at the airport, we will continue to operate with the same sensitivity.”
Turkish Airlines said the decision was also influenced by a joint press release from the NCAA and FAAN, which announced that additional security measures would be implemented to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The airline said Olubunmi Kuku, FAAN general manager, provided a written statement, promising to implement unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of its operations.
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“We want to thank the authorities for the assurance they provided, and we will like to emphasise that Turkish Airlines is the airline flying to more countries than any other in the world,” the airline said.
“We adhere fully to the laws and regulations of the countries we operate in and act in accordance with international business ethics principles.
“We have informed the relevant authorities that we will not be able to carry out the scheduled flights until our flight safety is guaranteed and requested assurances from them.”
On May 22, NCAA said it would not hesitate to impose severe penalties on Turkish Airlines for its alleged mistreatment of Nigerian passengers.
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NCAA said over 300 passengers were affected by the discord involving the Turkish Airlines and aviation unions, as the carrier has cancelled flights in and out of Nigeria from May 21 until May 23.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on May 21, picketed Turkish Airlines in Lagos over the dismissal of some of its members.
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