Virgin Nigeria Airways yesterday started full domestic operations from the new domestic terminal of the Murtal Muhammed Airport, known as MMA2.
Passengers besieged the airline counter at the terminal buying tickets while others were seen boarding the airline�s aircraft to various destinations.
By 3.30 p.m., Virgin Nigeria had recorded eight arrivals and departures from the terminal while boarding was still on going.
With the resumption of its flights, this may bring to an end the imbroglio between the Federal Government and the airline which started early in the year and was resumed on August 4 when the government insisted on an earlier directive that the airline relocate its domestic operations from the international wing of the airport to MMA2 within one week.
But Virgin Nigeria kicked against the directive insisting that it must continue to operate from the international terminal. However, the airline seems to have capitulated after devising all means at its disposal to make the government rescind its decision.
Aviation experts, who have been speculating on how much the airline must have lost since the cessation of flights for four days, estimate that the airline must have chalked up considerable losses during the period.
Virgin Nigeria records about 120 landings and take-offs everyday from the Murtala Muhammed Airport filling about 3,000 seats and at a fare averaging about N20,000.
When computed, this translates to some N24 million in lost income, for the four days it stopped flying on the domestic route.
When THISDAY visited the domestic terminal, Virgin Nigeria officials were busy attending to passengers and at the ticketing desk, passengers were being attended to by Virgin Nigeria workers.
One of the officials who spoke to THISDAY, still expressed hope that the airline would go back to operate at the international wing of the airport.
The exchange went thus: �Please I want to buy a ticket for Abuja. I will be flying next week.�
�Go upstairs that is our ticketing counter (waving her hand in a direction).�
�But are you going to continue to operate from here? I hear that you would be going back to the international wing?�
�Yes, but even if we go back, the ticket will still be valid.�
�But is you management considering going back?�
�I think so; yes.�
The August 4 directive given to Virgin Nigeria by the Federal Government was the third time government has instructed the airline operator to vacate the international wing of the MMA.
The first directive prompted the airline to go to the Federal High Court to restrain the Federal Government, arguing that the terminal (MMA2) was not safe for flight operations and made reference to an International Air Transport Association (IATA) report, which indicated shortcomings at the airport. But this was later refuted by IATA.
Aug162008