Nigerian Government Reveals Reason UAE Flights Remain Banned

The Federal Government has disclosed that flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are yet to resume due to the discriminatory nature of the protocol introduced by the UAE.

The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, made the remark during the briefing by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday.

Sirika, who explained that the protocol appeared to be targeted at only Nigerians, added that it was discriminatory and not backed up scientifically.

He explained that UAE was insistent that all passengers intending to visit its country must use Emirates Airline or spend two weeks in the alternative carrier’s country before gaining entrance to Dubai.

The minister dismissed insinuations that the continuous delay in the resumption of flights was ego-related.

He, however, said that talks were ongoing to resolve the matter.

According to him, Emirates in particular and other airlines, including KLM, gave some conditions that were not acceptable to Nigeria because they don’t make scientific sense. Read More

European Airlines Warn Digital COVID-19 Pass Will Cause Travel Chaos

The European Union’s plans for a digital COVID-19 certificate are still “fragmented”, Europe’s air industry has warned.

Groups representing Europe’s largest airlines and airports have expressed fresh concerns that there will be long queues for travellers unless countries better coordinate the rollout of the certificate.

The letter of warning to EU leaders was signed by airports group ACI Europe, as well as airlines representative bodies A4E, IATA and ERA.

“Certificate verification will undermine smooth summer travel for EU passengers,” a joint statement read.

“As passenger traffic increases in the coming weeks, the risk of chaos at European Airports is real,” it added.

“Duplicate checks and lack of verification tools provided to airlines will cause unnecessary airport queues and longer processing times if not addressed by the Member States.”

The EU’s digital COVID-19 travel system is due to come into force on Thursday, intended to allow the bloc’s citizens to cross borders more easily. Read More

UAE: Flights From 5 Countries Suspended Until July 21, Says Etihad

The decision to suspend flights has been taken in order to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Etihad Airways has announced the extension of flight suspensions from five countries until July 21.

The national carrier said restrictions on passenger flights from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have been extended till July 21.

Earlier, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered carrier had informed passengers on social media that the flight suspension from India to the UAE capital would be extended until July 21.

We understand it is confusing Mark however we were expecting some updates regarding the travel ban extension which we just received few moments ago. I can confirm that the ban is not lifted yet and has been extended until 21st of July. Our website will be updated shortly. *Ikra— Etihad Help (@EtihadHelp) June 29, 2021

Hi Asha. We have just received an update and flights from India have been suspended till the 21st July. We’ll keep the ticket open for you, and you can reschedule it at a later stage by calling our 1/2 *Sky— Etihad Help (@EtihadHelp) June 29, 2021

The decision to suspend flights from the five countries has been taken in order to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources: EuroNews, KhaleejTimes, Ripples Nigeria