Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
Cabo Verde Airlines says that it is temporarily suspending flights to Washington from March 8 to May 31 due to significantly reduced customer demand prompted by global health concerns related to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement by the management of the airline, passenger demand has decreased because of the spread of Coronavirus which has impacted operations, hence the need to temporarily suspend some flights.
According to the statement:
“Cabo Verde will temporarily suspend flights to Washington from March 8 to May 31 due to significantly reduced customer demand prompted by global health concerns related to coronavirus COVID-19. The coronavirus outbreak is changing worldwide aviation. As a result of the outbreak, passenger demand has decreased. Consequently, airlines have been trimming services and this also impacts Cabo Verde Airlines.
“As other aviation companies in general, Cabo Verde Airlines is paying attention to destinations where the focus of COVID-19 is increasing and affected customers will be contacted to accommodate travel needs. Those who booked through a travel agent will be contacted by their agency directly beginning March 09, or they can reach out to their travel agency.
“Up to now it is not proven scientifically that hot destinations are more safe for COVID-19 contagion, there is no case of COVID-19 in Cape Verde, so Cabo Verde Airlines believes that Sal Island is a safe destination for tourists and will continue to fly in other routes accordingly the market demand. The company has already published on its website the contingency plan for passenger protection and continues to be attentive to the outbreak worldwide in order to restart the operation after the ended outbreak.”
Turkish Airlines which brought in the current index case of the passenger suspected to have contracted the virus has also announced the cancellation of all flights to Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
In a statement, the airline says the cancellation of flights will start for flights originally scheduled to arrive Laos on March 17, 23 and 29, while flights for Abuja scheduled for March 13, 16, 20, 25, 27 and April 1, 2020. Flights for Port Harcourt will not operate on March 11, 13, 18 and 25.
The statement did not say when flights will resume.