Nigeria reopened Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to international commercial flights on 5 September 2020, ending a nearly six-month closure of the country's airspace to non-essential international travel imposed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the resumption date to airlines in a letter signed by Director-General Musa Nuhu, following approval from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
Capped at Four Flights a Day per Airport
Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika said each of the two airports would initially be limited to a maximum of four inbound flights a day, or roughly 1,280 passengers, as the government monitored whether the return of international travellers produced any fresh spike in coronavirus cases. Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines were among the first international carriers to resume Lagos service once the restrictions lifted. Other international airports, including Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu, remained closed to international traffic pending separate clearance.
All arriving passengers were required to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within a set window before departure and to submit to a further test on arrival in Nigeria, under protocols the NCAA circulated to airlines alongside the reopening notice. The resumption came after the government had twice pushed back its original 29 August target date, and followed the successful restart of domestic flights on 8 July, which Sirika cited as evidence Nigeria's airports could operate safely under the new health protocols.