The Muhammadu Buhari-led government in Nigeria and the European Union met on Friday to discuss international flight restrictions placed on some European airlines.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who made this known, said the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 sub-committee met with EU Ambassadors today and “the meeting progressed well.”
The EU had excluded Nigeria from the list of countries allowed into Europe when it reopened its borders after the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The FG had reciprocated and banned EU airlines including Lufthansa, Air France and KLM from operating into the country when it reopened Nigeria’s airspace on September 5.
Giving an update on the development on Friday, the minister added that the FG has also included Emirates Airlines in the list of airlines not approved to operate flights into the country effective Monday.
“The PTF sub committee met today with EU Ambassadors to discuss Lufthansa, Air France/KLM ban. The meeting progressed well. Emirates Airlines’ situation was reviewed and they are consequently included in the list of those not approved, with effect from Monday the 21st Sept. 2020,” Sirika tweeted.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the government reopened the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for international travels earlier this month.
The FG had also listed EgyptAir, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, AWA, Kenya Airways and Middle East Airlines as airlines permitted to operate into the Lagos airport while British Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, AWA, and Middle East Airlines were also allowed to operate into the Abuja airport.
However, the FG had said Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, TAAG Angola Airlines, Air Namibia, RwandAir and Royal Air Maroc were not approved to operate flights into the country.
The government had also said there would be sanctions for non-compliance with the guidelines on the part of the approved airlines and the passengers.
It had said passengers who fail to comply with the Covid-19 protocol put in place to curb the importation of the virus would be suspended from travelling for six months while airlines that fail to comply would pay a fine of $3,500 per passenger.
Credit: punchng.com
