TheCable

Turkish Airlines says it adjusted its flight schedules to several destinations across the world due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement released on Thursday, Yunus Ozbek, the airline’s general manager, said it did not entirely cancel flights to its three destinations in Nigeria.

“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,” Ozbek said.

“Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in various countries, Turkish Airlines has been changing its flight schedule to various 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 during 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.”

The airline said it is working with the World Health Organisation and other national authorities to see that precautions to ensure passenger health are followed.

Furthermore, it advised all passengers to complete the passenger self-reporting form distributed by Nigeria’s ministry of health.

According to WHO, the coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic.