Chinelo Obogo
Turkish Airlines has refuted reports that it has fully suspended all flights to Nigeria. In a statement from the airline, it said reports that flights to and from Nigeria had been suspended were false and clarified that some flights to several destinations had to be rescheduled around the globe in accordance with directives from international and local authorities.
The statement read: “The reports that Turkish Airline flights have been fully suspended to and from Nigeria do not reflect the reality. Due to the coronavirus outbreak in various countries, Turkish Airlines has been changing its flight schedule to several destinations around the globe in accordance with international and national authorities.
“We would like to inform our passengers that due to the lowered load factors caused by the suspension of other routes, several of our flights to/from Nigeria will be undergoing cancellations in March. Passengers with tickets to the cancelled flights will be able to refund or change their tickets free of charge until the end of May, if they start the process until March/April depending on the route.
“As the airline that always puts security at the forefront, Turkish Airlines will continue to monitor the latest developments on the situation with the national and international health authorities and take appropriate precautions. As the World Health Organization declared the potential risk of the virus, we have been acting in accordance with the recommendations and instructions of World Health Organization, IATA, and related national and international authorities since the first week of the January 2020. All our passengers are mandated to complete the passenger self-reporting form distributed by the Federal Ministry of Health.”