The United Arab Emirates government has announced that it is extending the ban on Nigerian flights till March 20.

Recall that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had on February 5 suspended Emirates airline from Nigeria, alleging flouting of COVID-19 protocols.

The NCAA also ban the carrier for the introduction of rapid antigen test as a requirement for Dubai travellers against the Nigerian government’s negative PCR requirements.

Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu had announced the ban on February 4, 2021.

The NCAA said the ban was necessitated by the continued airlift of passengers from Nigeria using the Rapid Antigen Tests (RDT) conducted by laboratories that are “neither approved nor authorized by the appropriate regulatory.”

This resulted in a situation with the UAE banning Nigeria flights for several weeks –  had been extended on other occasions.

In a statement from the public relations firm for Emirates, UAE said customers from both Abuja and Lagos would not be accepted for travel prior to or including this date.

The statement said, “In line with government directives, passenger services from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) to Dubai are temporarily suspended until 20 March 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).”

The statement however noted that Emirates flights from Dubai to Lagos and Abuja will continue as scheduled.