Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said on Wednesday that the ban on all flights will be extended by an additional four weeks.
This is as the Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika announced that the sector loses N17bn monthly due to the suspension of flights following the Coronavirus pandemic.
Mustapha while speaking at the daily briefing by the members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, said the decision to extend the ban was based on the assessment and advise from experts in the aviation industry to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
He said: “Tomorrow marks the last days for the enforcement of the closure of Nigerians’ airspace to flights.
“We have assessed the situation in the aviation industry and have concluded that given the facts available to us, and based on the evidence of experts, the ban on all flights will be extended by an additional four weeks.”
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Also speaking at the briefing, the Aviation minister, disclosed that the sector has been badly hit since the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
He said airlines have lost nearly N17 billion monthly since their operations were grounded, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
“We are in very difficult moments like everyone else. All of this started because someone travelled and unfortunately came back home with it and the consequence is what we’ve been going through.
“We are the worst-hit than any other sector, N17bn monthly is being lost by the airlines, thanks to COVID-19,” Sirika lamented.
