UAE aviation authority responds to Nigerian minister over passenger ban

GCAA says the UAE continues to co-ordinate with authorities in Abuja

A passenger has his temperature checked at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. AP

The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said it would work with countries around the world to open up air routes, following remarks from Nigeria's aviation minister about a ban on passenger services.

In a statement to state news agency Wam, the GCAA said it would "continue to work tirelessly with its international counterparts to find ways to facilitate travel without compromising public health and safety, and in line with international aviation standards".

Passenger services between UAE and Nigeria have been subject to restrictions since March. People travelling to and from Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted for travel, nor customers who have been to, or connected through, the west African country in the past 14 days.

South Africa, where the highly infectious Beta variant of Covid-19 was first reported, has also been subject to UAE-imposed restrictions.

Last week, Nigeria's Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika claimed in an article that his country had been unfairly singled out by the UAE flight restrictions, and by Emirates Airline.

"In this respect, the GCAA looks forward to reviewing constructive responses from the relevant authorities in Nigeria, following the consultations held between the UAE embassy and Nigerian officials over recent months," the GCAA statement issued on Sunday said.

UAE authorities "have made a number of difficult but necessary decisions throughout this pandemic to protect the health of those in the country".

This included special measures to restrict travel between the UAE and countries "where the Covid-19 situation is especially concerning".

To date, 2.3 million tests have been carried out in Nigeria, which has a population of 201 million.

A total of 3,397,472 vaccine doses have been administered, with 1,155,810 people fully vaccinated, or 0.58 per cent of the population.

"This list of countries is subject to regular review and change," the GCAA said.

"These decisions have been taken after reviewing the prevalence of concerning variants, the number of passengers arriving from each country who subsequently test positive for Covid-19, and the integrity of domestic testing facilities."

GCAA said the UAE had not given certain airlines any exemptions from these measures.

"The UAE government continues to coordinate with the Nigerian government and to closely monitor the current situation and will proceed with updated measures that are in the best interests of the safety and well-being of citizens, residents and visitors," the GCAA said.