Passengers who have traveled through or being to Nigeria in the last 14 days will not be permitted on any Emirates Airline bound to Dubai, according to an update by the airline late Wednesday.
This decision has further deepened the uncertainty over the status of the country after the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) and General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on Tuesday listed Nigeria among five other countries that have been granted approval to travel to/through the UAE as from August 5, 2021.
Initially, in a statement on its website, Emirates Air included Nigeria among the six countries that passengers could travel to and through the UAE from Thursday, August 5.
However, by Wednesday morning, the Airline has deleted Nigeria from the list of countries that would be allowed to travel to/through UAE without explaining the reason behind that.
Its latest update showed that Emirate flights to and from Nigeria have been suspended until August 15, 2021, while passengers from Nigeria will not be permitted to bound the airline at resumption.
“Emirates’ flights to and from Nigeria will remain suspended until 15 August 2021.
“Customers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days will not be permitted on any Emirates flights bound for Dubai,” the airline stated in an update.
The NCEMA is yet to reverse its earlier statement, which included passengers from Nigeria among six other countries that would be allowed to travel to/through the Emirates from August 5, 2021.
Efforts to contact the airline for clarification on its latest update proved futile as its phone numbers are not connecting.