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Tag: aviation minister

  • Aviation Minister announces date for resumption of domestic flights nationwide

    The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika on Monday announced that domestic flights will resume nationwide June 21.

    Recall that the flights were suspended since March due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.

    Sirika announced the flight resumption at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

    He said the resumption of flights will be based strictly on the implementation of the approved protocols for safe operations of the airlines.

    “The three-week period between now and the resumption date is to enable the operators adhere to all the necessary industry regulations, without which they cannot take to the skies after being dormant for some time.

    “This is because aviation, unlike other sectors, is a highly regulated one,” he said.

    The minister added that consultations had been on between the ministry and the industry’s stakeholders on the best ways to operate profitably, while, at the same time, ensuring safety of travelers upon resumption.

    Sirika cautioned owners of private aircraft, who, he said, were in the habit of asking for permits to fly within the country despite the restrictions in place, to desist, as the restrictions were still in place.

    He said only flights on essential services, which have been clearly defined will be allowed.

    He said that since approval for flights on essential services was not being paid for, it would take little or no time to grant it.

    Sirika warned against people allowing themselves to be scammed by those outside the approving authorities.

    He pointed out that the sector, under his watch, had zero tolerance for corrupt practices since his assumption of office as minister.

    The minister also expressed gratitude to the stakeholders in the aviation sector for their cooperation, in spite of their unquantifiable losses, occasioned by the lockdown since March.

    He assured that everything humanly possible would be done to ensure speedy recovery of the sector.

  • Coronavirus: Aviation minister rejects flight approval for five governors

    Five governors have been denied flight approval by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika since the closure of the airports and the lockdown order by President Muhammadu Buhari owing to the measure to check the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

    According to the minister, three out of the four governors who were denied flight approval were members of the All Progressives Congress.

    Two of the governors, according to him are from the South-east, two from South-south while one was from North-central.

    He, however, noted that 98 percent of the flight approved and those to be approved will be COVID-19 related.

    Sirika disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the daily press briefing by members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

    He said: “Every single flight that we approved and will be approved will be an essential flight and 98percent of the essential flight will be connected to COVID-19.

    “A few of them, maybe 1percent may be either repatriation, request from the diplomatic community which must go through foreign affairs, or repatriation due to illness of another kind which will be medical-kind and those evacuations will also need a stamp of a teaching hospital.

    He went further to explain: “However, I want to share with you a discussion I had on twitter with someone when I said we will not be able to open our airport and airspace as a result of the extension of the lockdown for normal operations and someone said; Kindly stop all the VIPs shuttle going on. It makes no sense to lock citizens up and allow governors to stroll in and out of Abuja. In the first instance, they carried this virus into Nigeria and now running around is not Okay.”

    “I said to the person that I agree with him but whatever is approved or whoever is approved to fly privately, governor or no governor is on an essential flight and it is addition and 98percent is related to COVID-19.

    “There is no exception to governors. I have denied several of such flights. Including two governors from South-south, two from South-east and by the way, three of them are members of the APC and I think one is from North-central.

    “For a flight to be approved, it shows that it is diligently done. It must be essential, COVID-19 related or other essential flights like cargo that will bring in medicines or equipment or other things related to COVID-19 or our whole wellbeing like food.

    “Please trust us and bear with us for this period but it will end soon by God’s grace.”

    On some flights flying around Abuja on Tuesday afternoon, he said: “I think it is occasioned by information dished out by the Nigerian Air Force that they will be carrying out flying activity this week to mark their week and I think what you see is the flight rehearsal.”

  • Kano Airport runway now in perfect shape – Minister

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, says the runway and taxi pavement of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport are in perfect shape.

    Sirika disclosed this during a facility tour to the airport in Kano on Sunday.

    He said the existing runway had the capacity to carry all types of aircraft, adding that he had high confidence in the airport facility.

    “The runway is okay, it is in good condition, we just inspected it and we are happy with it,” he said.

    The minister said the ongoing new terminal project at the airport was at advance stage, saying the contractor has not given any definite date of completion.

    According to him, the project will be completed in a very near future because it is at advance stage now.

    “The terminal building project is a very good job and I think that with a little more push we should be there and it will be ready for completion.

    “We will discuss on the completion date with the contractor and made it available to you.

    “This is purely a federal airport and so there is no need for any kind of contribution from the state government and this is a tour of facility to ascertain the level of work done at the airport,” he said.

    On the issue of lighting at the airport, Sirika said government was already handling the issue of power generation differently.

    He expressed confidence that the current power source on ground at Kano airport was adequate for its current and existing facility.

    “With the coming up of the new terminal building, we will not have that challenge. We have planned for it, we are seeking for an alternative power supply.

    “It has not been captured in the 2017 budget but we have made arrangement and FAAN is in the process of ensuring that there is adequate power supply, which is not part of what the new terminal building covered,” he said.

    The minister had been on facility tour to the Kaduna International Airport, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria (NCAT) and Kano Airport since on Friday.

    At Kaduna Airport, he disclosed that the airport was fully ready for the six weeks flight operations due to thw closure of Abuja Airport for repair of its runway.

    At Zaria, the minister tasked the management of the college to utilise the world-class equipment and facilities at the college for the progress of the country’s aviation industry.

    He also pledged to support the college towards becoming a full fledged higher institution to be able to be able to produce highly qualified professionals for the sector.