JUST IN: Nigeria govt impounds British aircraft for operating commercial flights into Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has impounded an aircraft owned by a British organisation.

FG seized the aircraft for unlawfully operating passenger flights into Nigeria.

Onyxnews Nigeria reports that the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, revealed this on Sunday via his official Twitter handle, @hadisirika.

He said the company, Flair Aviation, was authorised to conduct humanitarian flights but was caught operating commercial flights.

Sirika explained that in addition to the confiscated aircraft, a fine would be imposed on the company for the contravention of FG’s ban on commercial flights as part of measures to curb the importation of coronavirus.

“COVID-19. Flair Aviation, a UK company, was given approval for humanitarian operations but regrettably, we caught them conducting commercial flights. This is callous! The craft is impounded, the crew being interrogated. There shall be maximum penalty. Wrong time to try our resolve,” the minister tweeted.

Earlier, this reliable online news platform reported that some foreign airlines are said to resume flight operation to some routes in Nigeria.

Onyxnews Nigeria also reported that Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt airports are planning to resume flight operation despite the suspension on international commercial flights by the Federal Government in order curb the spread of deadly coronavirus (COVID-19).

However, some of the airlines said their plans could be altered.

This reliable online news platform learnt on Saturday that some of the international carriers had already scheduled some flights to Nigeria from June.

But the Federal Ministry of Aviation declared that such plans would not work until the flight ban was lifted.