By ABUJAH RACHEAL

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, says international flights, suspended by the nation’s aviation authorities as a result of the global outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will resume on Aug. 29, 2020.

He announced this at Monday’s briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, adding that Nigeria’s international airports have reached advanced stages of preparedness for resumption of international flight operations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that as a result, all evacuation flights, introduced in the country in the wake of the ban on international flights occasioned by the outbreak of the COVID-19, will end on Aug. 25 2020.

The minister disclosed that like it was done during the resumption of domestic flights across the country, the international flights would commence with the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.

Emphasis, he said, would be placed on the observation of all the safety and technical guidelines as prescribed by global and health authorities which would be communicated in due course.

Sirika said “I am pleased to announce the resumption of international flights from Aug. 29, 2020, beginning with Lagos and Abuja as we did with the domestic flight resumption.

“Protocols and procedures will be announced in due course. We thank you for your patience.”

The minister also said that passengers would need to do a COVID-19 test close to departure date and do another one eight days after arriving in the country.

He revealed that the passengers would pay for the COVID-19 test done in the country. (NAN)

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