By Chinenye Festus:-
The Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos witnessed its first international flight operation as the nation resumes its air operations on Saturday 5th September after the closure of all flight in March due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The first commercial scheduled flight was ceremonially welcomed with a water cannon demonstration by the men of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Aerodrome and Rescue Fire Fighters.
Middle East Airline, MEA, touched down at the airport at around 2.00 pm local time from Beirut.
It has been announced that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will be opened on Monday, 7th September for international flights.
Following the procedure laid down for the resumption of flight operations by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria,( FAAN) for both local and international flights, the airport officials, led by the Nigerian Immigration Service, screened the arrival passengers.
They presented their documents including their COVID-19 PCR test results for screening by the Port Health services officials. While their travelling papers, passports and visas were handled by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS.
The NIS comptroller MMIA Abdullahi Usman commended passengers for Conducting themselves very well and for their cooperation, he said the screening process has been seamless and passengers were cooperative when travelling documents were requested by the officials.
” The screening has been going on smoothly so far. No problems as passengers have been cooperating. The Immigration officials are carrying out their routine checks and they are running their normal shifts. We have not deployed extra men,” Usman added.
The Lagos Airport Manager, Mrs Victoria Shinaba while speaking during the arrival of the first flight said: “while the airport was on shut down to commercial scheduled flights, the airport recorded over a hundred special and essential flights approved by the Federal government.”
Shinaba also said that Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, would continue to improve on the procedures for facilitation and appealed to Nigerians to stay off the airport terminal if they are not travelling.
Recall that, The Lagos and Abuja international airports are the only two airports out of the international airports in the country that will be opened for international flights.
Others like Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Sokoto airports will be opened later for international flights operations.
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