International flights finally resumed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Saturday after operations were suspended in March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The first flight from Lebanon, which landed at about 2:30 pm, was operated by Middle East Airlines.

A visit to the airport by Channels Television’s correspondent, Bukola Oketunmbi,  showed outbound passengers also preparing for boarding formalities.

“The Middle East Airline landed at about 2:05 pm but taxied to our view at about 2:27 pm to the welcome of what is called, in aviation parlance, a traditional water cannon salute, signalling the first flight coming into this airport after five months and 22 days, according to authorities,” Oketunmbi said.

She added that the passengers did not disembark in the usual way, they went through the finger and they were batched in twenties to the port of entry, in line with the federal government’s COVID-19 protocols.

“She also observed that airport officials ensured that everyone maintained social distance and made sure that the port of entry was not clogged up.

However, she noted that people still had to fill hard copy forms which should have been available online, according to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

“On the flight, there were about 222 passengers and 15 crew members,” she said. “Most of the passengers, from what I observed, were some of the stranded young girls in Lebanon.”

Channels TV