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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has reassured passengers about their safety at the airports, saying that airline operations will continue smoothly despite the ongoing hunger protests across the country.
As a precautionary measure against potential damages at train stations, particularly on the Abuja-Kaduna route, train services were suspended on Thursday.
However, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, emphasised that there is adequate security at the airports.
He stated that he was currently at the airport and going around with his team, assuring that everything is proceeding smoothly.
Achimugu highlighted the tight security at the airports and the comprehensive preparations by security agencies, such as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria Aviation Security and NCAA, to ensure passengers' safety as long as the airlines are operating.
Despite this, he mentioned that two domestic airlines, Overland and Valuejet, announced that they would not be operating for the day.
He said the suspension of train services not only affects the Nigerian Railway Corporation but also the metro services, indicating the widespread impact of the ongoing unrest.
He noted that the metro and the train, which pass through multiple states are not working.
Observations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos revealed that passengers from various airlines arrived early to avoid potential violence arising from the protest.
Passengers with flights scheduled for later in the morning, afternoon, and evening arrived at the airport terminal unusually early.
Despite the relatively empty airport environment with vehicles barely in motion, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, and General Aviation Terminal displayed a notable presence of many air passengers quietly awaiting their scheduled flight times.
