The Nigerian Government is demanding a compensation for air travellers in the country over the ill treatment meted out to its nationals by Middle East Carrier, Emirates Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, concerning Rapid Antigen Test for passengers four hours prior to the flight.
A report by aviationages.com says the Federal Government of Nigeria through its civil aviation regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had written to governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Netherlands over ill-treatment by Emirates and KLM to its nationals.
The Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu at the last Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19’s briefing at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, has said that the federal government will write a protest letter to the governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Netherlands over the ill-treatment of Nigerians by Emirates Airline an KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Nuhu gave the updates in relation to the issues between the two airlines and the country after KLM and Emirates stopped flying passengers out of Nigeria in the last two weeks in alleged protest against the federal government’s refusal of their request for Rapid Antigen Test for passengers four hours before departure.
As reported by Thisday Newspaper, the NCAA DG said at the time Nigeria was not ready for the logistics, which prompted the airlines to stop their flights, a development that he said, resulted in many passengers failing to catch their flights.
“NCAA had discussions with the airlines on the unfavourable treatment of Nigerians and they are certainly going to compensate passengers whose flights were cancelled or delayed on short notice. Discussions are still ongoing with the airlines and it involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NCAA to resolve the issues. Letters will go out to the governments of these countries Tuesday morning (yesterday) and to the airlines with a deadline to give further information to help PTF resolve it once and for all and in the very near future,” he said.
The civil aviation authority advised the airlines to be cautious on the kind of passengers to board and the symptoms to look for in addition to measures and procedures to take in case they have a suspected case of Ebola aboard the flight, which include informing the authorities so that proper preventive arrangements can be made.
The dreaded disease resurfaced in West African of Guinea after authorities confirmed the death of three nationals in the country. This is just as the world is still trying to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic with increased vaccine distribution across the globe.
