Ghana And Nigeria Set To Resume International Flights

Last updated on 18 August 2020

Two major African countries are ready to reopen borders. The continent’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is set to resume international flights on August 29th. Ghana plans to allow inbound travelers into the country from September 1st.

Nigeria’s airports were closed since March 23rd due to the pandemic. At that point, only essential business travel was permitted. Similarly, Ghana had shut its borders two days earlier, on March 21st.

Both countries decided to reopen to international travelers since the COVID-19 situation seems to have stabilized. However, they remain cautious. As such, there will be several protocols and safety measures in place to accommodate the inevitable influx of traffic once airports restart operations.

What are the exact details?

For Nigeria, domestic flights had resumed entirely on July 8th. International flights, on the other hand, will return in stages. Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika revealed yesterday that Lagos and Abuja would receive international flights first. Specifically, four flights will land at each city daily, Al Jazeera reports.

Glad to announce the resumption of international flights from the 29th of August, 2020. Beginning with Lagos and Abuja as we did with the domestic flight resumption. Protocols and procedures will be announced in due course. We thank you for your patience.🙏🏽🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🙏🏽

— Hadi Sirika (@hadisirika) August 17, 2020

Details on the exact protocols and procedures have not been disclosed.

According to CGTN, Ghanaian President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, said on Sunday that entry points are to reopen next month. However, this is dependent on the readiness of the airports to accept international tourists. The Ministry of Health, Ministry of Aviation, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Ghana Airports will make the decision.

Akufo-Addo added,

“I want to ensure that we are in a position to test every single passenger that arrives in the country to avoid the spread of the virus. The outcome of that exercise will show us the way, and determine when we can reopen our border by air. I am hoping that we will be ready to do so by September 1st.”

COVID-19 cases under control

The move to reopen to international tourists came after they accessed the COVID-19 situation in the respective countries. Active cases had plummeted significantly over August.

Read the full story at Simple Flying website.