FG Bans Flights From UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Others

Flights from Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, among other countries, have been banned by the FG.

With effect from Tuesday, December 14, the Federal Government would impose restrictions on airlines flying into Nigeria from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia.

,,,,Capt. Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, announced the decision on Sunday in Lagos, explaining that it was made in exchange for restricted flights from Nigeria to those countries using the latest COVID-19 type, Omicron.

According to Sirika, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will also put the United Kingdom, Canada, and Saudi Arabia on a no-fly list because of the Omicron variant’s breakout and expansion. If those countries put Nigeria on a blacklist, the minister said, they have no moral right to have their airlines fly into Nigeria on commercial flights.

“Then there’s the case of Saudi Arabia, which placed Nigeria on a no-fly list. I attended a meeting with the COVID-19 task team on Sunday.

“We have expressed our dissatisfaction with it, and we have urged that Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina be included to the red list as well.”

“If they don’t let our folks into their nations, as they did to us, who are they going to pick from our country as airlines?”

“They are not permitted to enter.” I am confident that in the next three days, on Monday or Tuesday, all of those nations will be included to COVID-19’s red list,” the minister stated.

,,,,,He emphasized that the impacted countries’ airlines were still prohibited, and the countries were placed on Nigeria’s red list.

Sirika apologized to Nigerians planning to visit such nations, but insisted that the Nigerian government’s move was in the country’s best interests.