… As Airlines resume U.S. flight Nov. 8***
The Ikoyi Passport office of the Nigerian Immigration Service ( NIS), in Lagos state says it has produced 38, 280 international passports between June and October, 2021.
The Passport Control Officer ( PCO) of the office, Mr Ibrahim Liman made the disclosure with the newsmen in Lagos on Monday.
According to the PCO, 29,984 of 32-page passports and 8,246 of 64-page passports were produced in the period under review.
Liman, while appreciating the officers who sacrificed extra time to enable the passport office meet the demands, said such commitment would not go unnoticed.
He said that the officers worked 24 hours, all the days of the week to ensure the demand of the applicants were met.
“This passport office in its efforts to meet applicants demand, extended working days to include Saturdays and Sundays,” the PCO said.
Liman urged applicants to be patient anytime they applied for passports because NIS needed to do security check on individual applications before passports were released.
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He explained that some challenges might hinder the timely release of some international passports to prospective applicants.
“This included disrupted National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) portal, inconsistent details submitted by some applicants.
“The NIS must send the details filed by applicant to NIMC to ensure they match the details on applicants National Identity Number (NIN).
“Many applicants submit Date of Birth that does not match the DOB of NIN.
All the factors among others causes delay in passport production,” Liman said.
Liman said the NIS would not relent in its efforts to ensure that electricity did not disrupt the operations of the office adding that it got an inverter to enable the office operated efficiently.
“This office has also transferred the good gesture to NIMC within the premises,” he said.
In the meantime, Delta Airlines on Monday announced plans to resume international flight operations to U.S on Nov. 8.
The resumption plan was following lift of travel restrictions to foreign nations by President Joe Biden.
The airline’s Chief Operating Officer (CEO), Mr Ed Bastian, made the announcement in a statement issued to newsmen in Lagos.
Bastian said that the reopening of international travel would allow for the reunification of thousands of families and friends from around the world who had been separated for more than 18 months.
The airline’s CEO said the integrated digital health credential platform Delta FlyReady would enable passenger upload of required COVID-19 test/vaccine documents.
He said: “Effective Nov. 8, vaccinated international travelers who want to come to the U.S. can now do so.
“This is sequel to Joe Biden Administration’s announcement that it will lift travel restrictions on foreign nationals that have been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19.
“The reopening of international travel will allow for the reunification of thousands of families and friends from around the world who have been separated for more than 18 months, just in time for the holidays.
“International travel is vital to help reverse the devastating economic impact on America’s travel and tourism industry, which was hit hard by the pandemic.
“It is also an essential component in recovering global trade and commerce, particularly across the Atlantic. New York-JFK to London Heathrow is the world’s most important route for business travel.”
The airline’s CEO applauded the administration’s decision to welcome foreign nationals back to the United States beginning Nov. 8.
He also lauded the remarkable scientific efforts undertaken by the administration to protect public health through world-leading vaccination programs and health safety protocols, U.S. borders can safely be reopened.
Bastian said the Delta passengers were excited to play its part in reuniting families for the holidays and reconnecting the world after more than 19 months apart.
The airline’s chief said while leisure travel had remained consistently high, the airline was adding more flights across the globe as demand for international and business travel returns.
“In November, customers traveling to the U.S. from across the pond can easily connect to Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, New York-JFK, Minneapolis, Seattle and Salt Lake City.
“These are with over 190 weekly nonstop flights from 16 markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” he said.
Bastian added that this include partners Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic, passengers had even greater choice with over 430 weekly flights to the U.S.
