Get ready, we’re flying soon, Dana Air alerts passengers
Samson Echenim is business a.m. correspondent providing coverage for maritime, aviation, travels and hospitality. A former business correspondent at the Punch and Leadership newspapers, he has a vast experience in business reporting. Samson can be reached on samhapp2000@yahoo.com and +2348037363024
Nigerian airline, Dana Air has alerted its passengers it is coming back to the airspace soon, after two months of break due to the Covid-19 lockdown in the country that saw all airports closed.
Amidst concerns that some airlines may not bounce back after the forced grounding, Dana said it was working with aviation authorities to perfect its flight schedules.
“Dana Air is ready to start flying soon and working with aviation authorities to confirm flight schedules. We can’t wait to see you back with us in the skies,” the airline said in a message to its customers.
On April 20, when the country mulled reopening of airports, Dana Air said it planned to leave all its operational aircrafts middle seats empty when it resumes flights “anytime soon” in line with the social distancing guideline on Covid-19.
Obi Mbanuzuo, accountable manager of Dana, said the airline would commence this initiative when flights resume, maintain it for a while and listen to the feedback from the airline’s customers.
”Majority of our aircraft are configured with mainly three seats in a row, on either side of the aisle, so when we resume flights anytime soon, we will keep the middle seats empty so passengers can sit on the window and aisle seats to ensure some physical distancing onboard all our flights.
He said, ”This is just to give our guests some sense of security about their health and well-being when flying with us immediately after the pandemic and it will be for sometime, while we continue to review feedback from our guests on their thoughts, but we believe it what customers might like to see.
”Our first concern is the safety and well-being of our staff and customers and we have made firm arrangements to ensure that our thorough cleaning and disinfection program continues. We are taking this seriously as we do not know how long this will last.”
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had said Air transport users would go thorough multiple checks during departure and arrival check procedures and the country informed of reopening five airports soon.
However, Covid-19 concerns remain officially high as Nigeria recorded over 500 cases yesterday, indication over 80 percent increase in cases day on day.