[News] FG lifts ban on Emirates airline as UAE suspends rapid tests

    The Federal Government has lifted the ban it placed on Emirates Airlines. The airline was barred from lifting passengers from Nigeria after the United Arab Emirates made it mandatory for such passengers to carry out Rapid Antigen Testing in laboratories that are not approved or authorized by the appropriate regulatory bodies.

The UAE has now withdrawn the Rapid Antigen Testing requirements for its Nigerian passengers. Following this decision, the Presidential Task Force on COVID19 directed the immediate lifting of the suspension placed on the operations of Emirates Airlines in Nigeria.

A letter by the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, asked the airline to comply with the directives by the PTF on COVID-19 and other protocols of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Emirates Airlines will be duly informed of ongoing enforcement actions by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority with regards to the established non-compliances to PTF directives and protocols as enumerated in our letter of February 4, 2021,” the letter reads

Reacting to the development, the airline expressed its desire to continue flying to Nigeria as it thanked the authorities for their support.

“Emirates can confirm that we will continue to operate services to Abuja and Lagos. We are strongly committed to Nigeria and would like to thank the local authorities for their trust and support.

“We look forward to continuing to safely connect our customers, and meet air travel demand from Nigeria to and through Dubai to Emirates’ global network.”a statement from the airline read in part