FG RECIPROCATES, BANS FLIGHTS FROM EUROPEAN UNION
The Federal Government has specifically stated that airlines from the European Union would not be allowed into Nigeria as the EU had recently banned flight from Nigeria.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika made this known during Thursday’s briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, saying the decision was hinged on facts that some countries had placed a ban on flights from Nigeria.
While speaking on the ban, Sirika said it is only airlines from countries that allow flights from Nigeria will be allowed to fly into and out of Nigeria.
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It was gathered that the Council of the European Union after opening its airspace in July granted access to 15 countries, excluding Nigeria.
Meanwhile, according to the information obtained from the EU website at the time, Nigeria was still not a part of the countries from where visitors were allowed into Europe.
Speaking at the briefing of the PTF on COVID-19, the Minister of Aviation, who was represented by the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, argued that the decision was taken in the interest of Nigerians.
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He said, “On the list of countries (that are banned), we are working on the comprehensive list, but the main one that came up is when the EU opened their borders effective 1st July, Nigeria was among the list of 54 countries that were not allowed to enter the EU.
“To my understanding, as the situation changes, they are going to look at the list and change it. But so far, we don’t have any contrary information to that first one that Nigeria is banned from going to the EU.
“So, as we open our airspace, we are going to apply the issue of reciprocity to those (EU) countries.”
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Sirika also said that airline and the general public would be notified on guidelines put in place to ensure the safe reopening of international flights.
He stated that for now, only a few flights per day would be permitted, adding that they would operate as test runs of the protocols put in place to ensure the safe return to international operations.
The Aviation Minister noted that not more than 1,280 passengers would be allowed on board, adding that only this number would be allowed to fly into the Lagos and Abuja airports as soon as international flights resume on August 29, 2020.
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