Emirates to start airlifting Nigerian passengers from February 28

The United Arab Emirates mega carrier, Emirates Airlines, has announced that it would start airlifting Nigerian passengers from Lagos and Abuja to its hub in Dubai from February 28, 2021.

Emirates spokesperson made this known in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday saying the airline would continue to operate its inbound flight to Nigeria.

The statement stated that the suspension of flights from Nigeria was in line with UAE Government directive.

It also reiterated that Nigerian passengers would not be allowed to transit from any other airport outside Nigeria to Dubai, disclosing that Nigerians who arrived in Dubai from transit destinations were not allowed to come into the country.

According to the statement, “In line with the government directives, passenger services from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) to Dubai are temporarily suspended until February 28, 2021. Customers from both Abuja and Lagos will not be accepted for travel prior to or including this date. “Passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not allowed entry into the UAE (whether terminating in or connecting through Dubai).

“Emirates flights from Dubai to Lagos and Abuja will continue to operate as per the normal schedule. We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking. Emirates remains committed to Nigeria, and we look forward to resuming passenger services to Dubai for our customers when conditions allow.”

Last week, the federal government stopped Emirates flights from Nigeria when the airline started conducting Rapid Antigen Test (RDT) from February 1, 2021, and made it the final condition for airlifting Nigerian passengers to Dubai, insisting that passengers would be administered the test four hours before their flight.

This was in addition to Nigerian Government approved 72 hours COVID-19 test certificate for passengers before travelling.

But after securing a lift on the ban by the federal government, Emirates cancelled its flights from February 6, 2021.