The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the suspension of both inbound and outbound flights by Emirates Airlines from midnight of Wednesday. This is following the insistence of the Dubai based airline to have PCR tests for passengers embarking from Nigeria within 72 hours of their flights in addition to Antigen Rapid Test at Nigerian airports and another PCR test on arrival in Dubai.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika who announced this on Monday while giving updates at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja stated that there was no logic behind Emirates insisting passengers take both the PCR and a rapid antigen test within 72 hours before flight as the coronavirus itself will incubate at least in or after 72 hours.
The minister stated that the decision to suspend Emirates operations in Nigeria had been communicated to the airlines since Sunday.
Sirika also added that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has accepted the conditions spelled out by the federal government to bring passengers in and out by having a PCR Test within 72 hours. KLM has since resumed outbound flights from Lagos on March 15, 2021, without RDTs .
