Experts: Re-emergence of COVID-19 Won’t Disrupt Aviation, Flight Operations
Chinedu Eze
Experts in the aviation industry have said that the re-emergence of COVID-19 virus will not disrupt flight operations this year as it did in 2020, when there was a global lockdown.
The experts insisted that with what the world has learnt about the pandemic, the aviation industry could manage it, while observing its protocols.
Media reports confirmed that Nigeria has recorded a fresh case of COVID virus and the newest was confirmed in Cross River State. The Cross River State Ministry of Health had already started profiling and tracing individuals that might have been in contact with the Chinese national admitted in health facility after testing positive to COVID virus.
Air Transport Executive and former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Dr. Richard Aisuebeogun, told THISDAY that the re-emergence of the virus would jolt the aviation industry, logistics, public health sectors and others.
But considering what the world knows about the disease, it should not be allowed to disrupt economic and other activities as it did when it was first discovered.
“However, given the profound disruptions experienced during the 2019 and 2020 outbreak, particularly its impact on air travel, passenger confidence, and financial burden on travellers, it is important that any renewed response is guided by lessons learned, existing data, and strategic foresight.
“Meanwhile public health safety must remain paramount, it is equally important to avoid a repeat of reactionary measures that significantly strained the aviation industry and the broader economy. The approach this time must be measured, coordinated, and intelligence driven,” Aisuebeogun said.
According to him, the first thing Nigeria should do is that it “must move away from blanket restrictions such as indiscriminate border closures and flight suspensions.”
Aisuebeogun, an Aviation Consultant, further said: “Instead, authorities should adopt a risk-based framework that allows for continuous air travel while implementing targeted health protocols based on real-time data and global advisories. Aviation is a critical enabler of economic activity, and its continuity must be preserved.
“Secondly, may I also say that the airport health management systems under the federal ministry of health must be strengthened to function efficiently without creating unnecessary bottlenecks. Health screening processes should be streamlined and integrated into existing airport operations to ensure ease of travel while maintaining safety standards. Emphasis should be placed on preparedness, including personnel training and rapid response capabilities, rather than excessive control measures.
“Thirdly, the issue of financial burden on travellers would have to be addressed decisively. During the previous outbreak, passengers were subjected to multiple testing requirements, duplicated processes, and inflated costs. Any reintroduction of health protocols must be transparent, standardised, and regulated to prevent exploitation. Digital solutions for health verification should be prioritised to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce human interference.”
He also called for inter-agency coordination under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
Aisuebeogun also canvassed for a unified framework involving aviation authorities, health services, immigration services, custom services and other relevant stakeholders who will ensure consistency in policy implementation and communication, adding that fragmentation and policy contradictions must be avoided at all costs.
“Also, it’s important to have clear and responsible public communication. Authorities must provide timely, accurate, and consistent information to prevent panic and misinformation. Stakeholder engagement, particularly with airlines and airport operators, should precede major policy decisions to ensure practical field implementation and compliance.
“Finally, the federal government and sub national must adopt a posture of readiness without panic. The global understanding of COVID-19 has evolved significantly, and coping mechanisms and response strategies should reflect this progress. Preventive measures such as vaccination where necessary, public awareness and voluntary compliance should take precedence over coercive restrictions,” he added.
Aisuebeogun reiterated that the re-emergence of COVID-19 should not trigger a return to disruptive and economically damaging measures. Instead, it presents an opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate resilience and maturity by implementing a balanced response that safeguards public health while sustaining aviation and economic stability.
“The priority must be clear: protect lives, preserve livelihoods, and maintain the integrity of the aviation system as a strong enabler of economic growth,” he added.
Also, Managing Director of Flight and Logistic Solutions Limited, an industry analyst, Amos Akpan, said that COVID-19 had never gone away but was reduced to tolerable level. He however said now that it has resurfaced, there should be no need for panic. He advised air travellers not to panic like before, insisting that flights should not be disrupted.
“There is no need for panicky response to its resurgence. Our body system has been handling COVID-19 like it does to flu and the likes. Reporting to the hospital on time is the necessary propaganda now. There should be broadcast of symptoms if it has returned.
“Air travellers should not panic again like before. Flights should not be disrupted. Medical experts should speak about COVID and advise the travelling public. The aviation industry has handled the initial outbreak well; this resurgence shouldn’t cause much damage if it truly has re-surfaced. The industry has a template for handling such based on its last experience. But we await further details as this subject develops. Be assured that the industry would not panic but activate existing template in managing it if truly it has re-emerged,” he said.
Industry stakeholder and the Executive Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Fidel Olu Ohunayo, said COVID-19 has returned and has been around in several places.
“I think the first thing we should do is not to panic. We don’t have to panic. We just have to reactivate these protocols that we used in combatting the first time.
“Return those protocols as slowly, gradually anyway, so that we don’t panic Nigerians. Again, it is coming at a time when travel essentially is at low season. So, you would expect that it will also affect travel,” Ohunayo said.
He expressed the wish that Nigeria airlines will be able “to navigate through this period.”
Ohunayo however said: “But then, as we go to discussions tomorrow, I think this thing should be part of a thing that will be tabled at that meeting with the minister and other stakeholders to see how the industry can be immune, how the industry can support the nation and the economy to ensure that flights continue to operate, to carry passengers and goods, while also putting the necessary health facilities and other needed guidelines in place so that we can curb the spread and most importantly, reduce the fear, because the fear alone can slow down many things.”
He remarked that the industry and the country should not go into lockdowns, but just to follow the protocol to stymie the spread.
“I would advise we don’t go into a rush lockdown everywhere. We just need to flow like the rate of what is flowing. COVID-19 has been back in England since last year and they have been managing it and we can also manage our own. But we also need to use data, we need to analyse data, we have to look at the group of people that were mostly affected the last time. It was not what the world was predicting, thinking that Nigerians would be dying on the streets, but as fate would have it, the low-income earners were automatically just immune by the way of life or the habitat, they were immune. It was those who had some weight, it was those who had health challenges, natural health challenges that were victims,” he said.
