The Nigerian Government has announced plans to ban airlines and visitors from European Union (EU) countries into Nigeria as a measure of reciprocity as it prepares to open its airspace for the resumption of international flights.
According to the Federal Government, this implies that countries that ban Nigerian airlines and visitors will also receive the same treatment in Nigerian airspace and airports.
This has come on the heels of the EU excluding Nigeria from the list of countries whose airlines and visitors are allowed within its borders.
Reacting to the ban during the daily briefing of the presidential task force on COVID-19 on Thursday, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, represented by the DG, of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, said Nigeria would reciprocate the ban. He also stated that the decision was taken to protect the collective interest of Nigerians.
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According to the Aviation Minister, “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.”
The Minister said further that only a few flights would be allowed per day to serve as test runs of the protocols put in place for international flights. He also said the number of passengers on inbound international flights will be limited to 1,280.