FG Impounds British Aircraft for Operating Commercial Flights, Issues Maximum Penalty

The Federal Government has impounded an aircraft owned by a British company for operating passenger flights into Nigeria against the Presidential directive that flights are grounded.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this on Sunday via his Twitter handle, @hadisirika

He said the permission given to the British company, Flair Aviation, was to conduct humanitarian flights and not commercial flights which it has been caught doing.

Sirika also said, apart from the confiscation of the aircraft, the company would be penalised for going against the ban on aircraft movement as part of measures to forestall the spread of coronavirus.

“COVID-19. Flair Aviation, a UK company, was given approval for humanitarian operations but regrettably, we caught them conducting commercial flights. This is callous! The craft is impounded, the crew being interrogated. There shall be maximum penalty. Wrong time to try our resolve,” the minister tweeted.