Emirates Airline, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier, on Thursday, announced that all was set for the resumption of flights between Dubai and Nigeria from December 5, 2021.
This development is coming after 10 months of disagreement between Nigeria and UAE over covid-19 protocol.
The Federal Government in February suspended the activities of the Emirates Airline following its demand for COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (RDT) for Nigerian travellers, four hours before their flight, as stipulated in the COVID-19 protocols of the UAE.
However, after several negotiations, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, announced that the ban has been lifted.
The minister said the ban was lifted after Emirates airlines removed its stringent conditions slammed on Nigerian travellers.
Following the development, the Emirates Airline announced, via a statement on Thursday, that it will commence flight operations from Nigeria to UAE on December 5.
The airline added that Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all passengers arriving Dubai, including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.
The airline said it has also been working hard to provide up-to -date, comprehensive travel information to passengers as well as speeding up processes on the ground through digital verification for Covid-19 via the IATA Travel Pass, as well as touchless check-in and biometrics processing.
The statement reads: “Travellers coming from Nigeria must hold a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 72 hours before departure.
“Additionally, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has specified designated laboratories for passengers departing Nigeria and travellers must obtain their certificate from one of the labs listed here to be accepted on the flight. Travellers coming from Nigeria will also need to take another Covid-19 PCR test on arrival at Dubai International Airport.
“Passengers flying to Nigeria have to meet the requirements of their destination.”
