Air travelers in Nigeria can now heave a sigh of relief as the Federal government has ruled out the possibility of an increment in airfares as a result of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
This cheering news was disclosed by Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation on Saturday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while inspecting the resumption of flights from the country’s capital to Kano and other parts of the country.
Sirika noted that since there would be no physical distancing among
air passengers, there would be no need on the part of air transporters to increase the cost of air tickets.
“There is no price increase in airfares because I know that someone traveled at about N30,000, while another person told me it was N25,000 from Abuja to Lagos.
So I want to assume that even if the increase had happened as I said earlier on during the COVID-19 briefing, it will be minimal that passengers can afford. Because of the nature of the airplane, the aircraft cabin is hygienic enough once you have your mask on” he disclosed.
He also disclosed that social distancing is not compulsory aboard an aircraft because of the altitude.
“You are safe to remain seated on your seat and where possible, we will keep the distance. Airplanes are designed in such a way that the ambient air at altitudes is clean. It is not contaminated” he said
He added that resumption of air flights would follow strict compliance with safety protocols earlier announced by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19.
It would be recalled that Kano, Owerri, and Port-Harcourt airports resumed air transport business, joining Lagos and Abuja airports which resumed domestic flights on Wednesday.
