Turkish Airlines announces resumption of Lagos flight operations

Turkish Airlines has announced that its flight operations in Lagos will resume on Saturday, May 25.

We recall that the airline suspended flights following the disruption of its operations in the state four days ago.

"Due to actions at our counter at the Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport that jeopardised our flight safety and continued for four days, we had to cancel our scheduled flights to Lagos as of Tuesday, May 21.

"Turkish Airlines, prioritising the safety and security of its passengers and crew, will resume flights to Nigeria on Saturday, May 25, as it has done since 2006.

"As long as the NCAA and FAAN authorities take the necessary precautions and maintain the safety of flights, crew, Turkish Airlines Lagos personnel, and passengers at the airport, we will continue to operate with the same sensitivity," the airline stated on Friday.

It explained that the decision to resume operations was taken after holding meetings with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.

According to the airline, the decision is also informed by the fact that NCAA and FAAN have issued a joint press release announcing that additional security measures will be taken to prevent the reoccurrence of such incidents.

The airline also said that the FAAN General Manager shared a written statement with it, committing to taking unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of its operations.

"We want to thank the authorities for the assurance they provided, and we would like to emphasise that Turkish Airlines is the airline flying to more countries than any other in the world.

"We adhere fully to the laws and regulations of the countries we operate in and act in accordance with international business ethics principles.

"We have informed the relevant authorities that we will not be able to carry out the scheduled flights until our flight safety is guaranteed and requested assurances from them," the airline added.

The Turkish airline on Thursday described as illegal the picketing of its Lagos office by the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, which forced flight cancellations.

It explained that the National Industrial Court had, on April 30, issued formal notices of injunction restraining NUATE and its affiliate unions from embarking on any industrial action to disrupt its business.

The NCAA also waded into the matter on Thursday, paving the way for an amicable resolution of the issues and for the airline to resume full operations, albeit without a definite resumption date.