By our reporter|Nigerian government on Thursday released the list of international airlines denied approval to operate in the country as the country moves to open its airspace to flights operations.
Aviation minister, Hadi Sirika who made the disclosure while speaking at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, said only approved airlines will be allowed into the country’s airspace.
“Air France, KLM, Etihad, Rwandair, Lufthansa, TAAG Angola Airlines, Air Namibia, and Royal Air Maroc are airlines denied entrance into the country,” the aviation minister said.
Nigeria had in August vowed to implement a reciprocity clause by banning flights and airlines from countries that put similar bans on flights from Nigeria as nations open their airspace amidst the COVID-19 pandemic following the suspension of international flights earlier implememented to curb the influx of imported cases of the COVID-19 virus in the country.
According to Sirika, some airlines have been given approvals to operate within the COVID-19 protocols.
These airlines include: Middle-East, British Airways, Delta Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Egyptair, Air Peace, Virgin Atlantic, Asky, Africa World Airways (AWA), Air Cote-d’Ivoire, Kenya Airways, Emirate, and Turkish airlines.
He further explained the criteria used in approving and denying operation of the airlines.
“We used the ‘foreign carrier operator permit’ which is the requirement by our laws, guidelines by COVID-19 PTF and other guidelines including restrictions that came from other countries which will affect our own operations here at home.
“Airfrance and Lufthansa were not approved. The reason is that Swiss visa owners are not allowed entry and the same reason for KLM,” he said.
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