Turkish Airlines has declared that contrary to an ongoing insinuation that it has suspended its flights into Nigeria following the outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe, that the position did not reflect the fact.
The airline however notified of its plans to cancel many of its flights into Nigeria this month due to what it called lowered load factors.
A statement issued from the airline partly said: “As Turkish Airlines, we would like to advise our passengers that some reported news mentioning Turkish Airlines’ full-suspension decision on its flight operations to/from Nigeria do not reflect the reality.
“Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) 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.
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“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.
“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.”
According to the airline, 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 the travel 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 January 2020.
“All our passengers are mandated to complete the passenger self-reporting form distributed by the Federal Ministry of Health.”
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