Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended Emirates airways from operating flights out of Nigeria for violating COVID-19 directives and protocol as issued by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) and the National center for disease control (NCDC).
According to a statement issued by Captain Musa Nuhu, DG, NCAA, additional sanctions will be imposed on Emirates Airline for violating PTF directives and COVID-19 protocol. The statement also read that during the 72-hour leeway Emirates Airline is only authorized to bring in passengers into Nigeria as outbound passengers are not authorized.
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Captain Nuhu in the suspension letter sent to Emirates said: ‘It has been brought to the attention of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) that Emirates has continued to airlift passengers from Nigeria using Rapid Antigen Tests (RDT) conducted by laboratories that are neither approved nor authorized.’
‘It is in violation of paragraph five of the NCAA letter Of February 2, 2021, addressed to your good self. The paragraph clearly states: ‘Based on the foregoing and to enable Nigerian passengers put in place needed infrastructures and logistics for COVID-19 RDT testing for departing passengers, the PTF has directed that Emirates Airline should either accept passengers without RDT pending when the infrastructure and logistics are put in place or suspend its flights to and from Nigeria until such a time when the required Infrastructure and logistics are fully established and implemented.
‘Emirates airlines have not been in compliance with the two options given by the PTF as records obtained by the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) indicate that Emirates airlines operated flights from Lagos and Abuja airports,’ he said.
Recall on February 1, Dubai sent a circular to air passengers requesting that Emirates Airline would have to conduct a compulsory rapid test four hours before the flight.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK