Domestic air carriers witnessed a low turnover of passengers as flights resume, three months after the airspace was shut to commercial flights to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
This may be attributed to higher fares and mandatory compliance with rigorous safety guidelines
An economy class seat on Lagos -Abuja and Abuja -Lagos route – the only one that operated on Wdnesday, went for between N29, 000 and N33,000.
Besides paying more, passengers had to comply with stricter check -in measures at the terminal buildings. The measures include mandatory checking of body temperature, disinfection of luggage, physical distancing during check-in procedure and others rolled out for flights by aviation authorities.
Arik Air, Air Peace, Max Air and Ibom Air Air operated flights out of the two domestic wings – General Aviation Terminal (GAT) and Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) of the airport in Lagos, according to the NATION.
Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) commended passengers for adhering to safety measures spelt out to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
FAAN Managing Director Rabiu Yadudu told reporters in Abuja, “The situation is looking very good just like we expected. It took a lot of planning and efforts from all sides; the airlines, the handlers, agencies, stakeholders and of course FAAN is the primary agent responsible in this facility.
” There were no issues with the passengers. We were worried about the planning we put into this because it is only a plan.
