Fresh crisis looms as UAE bars Nigerian travellers over Omicron
The United Arab Emirates agencies, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have suspended entry for passengers from Nigeria and three other African countries.
The United Arab Emirates agencies, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have suspended entry for passengers from Nigeria and three other African countries.
The other countries are Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
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The latest suspension is coming at a time the Federal Government and the UAE had just settled another dispute leading to the lifting of the restriction on Emirates.
The government had withdrawn Emirates winter schedule in retaliation of the denial of Air Peace the three frequencies requested at Sharjah Airport.
The Federal Government through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had reinstated Emirates’ frequencies after the UAE authorities granted seven slots to Air Peace in the country.
While both Emirates and Air Peace have not resumed flights, the UAE authorities issued a new travel restriction which it blamed on the rising cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The statement by the GCAA and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority confirmed the “suspension of entry of travelers from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Nigeria on all flights of national and foreign carriers, as well as transit passengers coming from them, as of Saturday, December 27 at 7:30 pm.
“The suspension includes those who were present during the 14 days before coming to the UAE,” the statement added.
When contacted, the DG of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, said the development is yet to be communicated to the authority.
“As DG of NCAA, I have not received any official communication from UAE on this. I am also reading it on the social media,” he said.