The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Thursday held a virtual meeting with the management of Munich International Airport, Germany, to share experiences and compare notes on the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on airports.
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Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, General Manager, Corporate Affairs of FAAN, said in a statement that aim of the meeting was to assess the readiness of FAAN to gradually begin operations, following the Federal Government’s directive for reopening of the four regional airports on June 21.
The presentation via Skype simulated from Germany and England was tagged: “Rapid Aviation Plan”.
Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, Managing Director of FAAN, said the authority was responding to the guidelines set by NCAA for gradual airport reopening and post COVID-19 operations.
Yadudu said: “It is important to also compare notes with other airports in the world.
“This is to make sure we are on the right track and join the global industry in building back travel confidence,” he said.
Yadudu said that Munich Airport had successfully reopened and recommenced domestic and international flights.
“So, it is worth sharing their experiences with them.
“FAAN intends to begin involving itself in route development and therefore, collaborative efforts between Munich and FAAN can help in that direction,” he said.
Herbert Keffel, the Munich International Airport lead, who was in attendance with his colleagues, Georgios Elkolids and Julian Duerdoth, highlighted the steps and considerations which the airport adopted toward the successful reopening.
Keffel said though, there were guidelines issued by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and ACI for the purpose of the reopening, the guidelines become more successful if they were adapted.
According to Keffel, this is based on the peculiarities of the airport environment, which Munich had successfully done.
Responding to question on the issue of orderly management of human traffic in a relatively small airport space, the Munich Airport team compared notes on how they had carried out flow management and social distancing orders.