COVID-19 new protocol: travelers to arrive airport one and a half hours before departure

Mr Hadi Sirika

The Minister of Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, said travelers would henceforth be expected to arrive at the airports one and a half hours before their departure time for domestic flights.

Addressing journalists at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on Control of COVID-19 in Abuja Monday, the minister said the arrangement was part of the new protocols for the restart of flights amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the dry run carried out in Lagos and Kano airports revealed that COVID-19 protocols including efficient checks and screening before boarding can be done within 90 minutes.

He said all airports are now compliant with COVID-19 guidelines and that departure and arrivals times have been staggered to avoid congestion at the departure and arrival halls.
“After the dry run and having been to Lagos and Kano, we found out that because we are sequencing the flights, they come in, in an organized manner and depart, we found out that we are able to meet all our protocols and meet our flights when we arrive an hour and half for our domestic flights.

“What we said earlier was that you arrived three hours before, we wanted to err on the side of caution. We wanted to make sure that when you arrive you do not create a bad situation for us.
“But now we are definitely sure that if you get to the airport an hour and half before, you will have time to park your car, carry your luggage and get on board.

“But we will recommend that you check in online. Checking in online will save you a lot of time and hassles at the airport. And should we commence international flight it will still be three hours before departure. So, we will keep sequencing the flight in an orderly manner so as not to cause congestion,” he said.