UK Halts Visa for Nigerians as Experts Ask FG to Reciprocate

Passengers stranded as British Airways cancels flights in, out of Nigeria
• UK detects 80 new Omicron cases, ban to affect over 8,000 Nigerian travellers
• Citizens UK coming from Nigeria to pay £2,285 for 10-day quarantine
• Canada no longer accepting COVID-19 test results from Nigeria, nine African countries
• Global clinic data confirms new variant is less lethal
• Holiday travels hobble under restrictions, forex liquidity crisis

The British High Commission, yesterday, said it would “pause making decisions” on visitor visa applications from all red list countries, which includes Nigeria.

The decision was announced in a statement issued by the commission yesterday. The development comes hours after the United Kingdom (UK) added Nigeria to its travel red list.

“To support the UK government’s aim to protect public health from COVID-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC), UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will pause making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement reads.

Visit visas cover travel to UK for tourism, visiting family and friends, undertaking short-term business activities, undertaking short-term studies (under six months), taking part in research or exchange programmes as an academic and for medical reasons.

“If you apply for a visit visa in a red list country and you meet the UK immigration rules, your application will be paused. You will not be able to request a refund of your visa fee once you have given your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre. If you already hold a valid visa and are intending to travel to England as a visitor from a red list country, you will not be allowed to enter,” the statement added.

The UK, earlier on Saturday night, had announced the imposition of a travel restriction on Nigerian citizens following an increase in the number of cases of the Omicron variant across the world. This was disclosed by UK’s Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, via his official Twitter account.

BRITISH Airways, yesterday, cancelled its flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos into London Heathrow in the United Kingdom, citing operational reasons. The airline also did not operate its inbound flight from London into Lagos.

Sources at the airport linked it to the implementation of the travel ban imposed on countries considered red flags to the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Many passengers who turned up at the airport for check-in procedures were disappointed with counters for British Airways scanty. Some workers who were at the counters informed the distraught passengers that the flight into the United Kingdom was rescheduled for early hours of Monday.

Some passengers, who sought clarifications for the sudden twist of events, were handed flyers signed by the Customer Service Duty Manager of the British Airways Nwanorue Alexander.

It reads: “We would like to inform you of a change to the departure time of your flight BA 074 on December 5, 2021 to London Heathrow. We have had to make this adjustment to our schedule due to operational reasons. Your flight will now depart Lagos next day. We are sorry for the change to your travel plans, please be rest assured that we will do everything we can to help.” Read more

Omicron: Travellers Stranded in Lagos, Abuja Airports

Omicron, the new variant of COVID-19 pandemic, is taking its toll on the aviation sector in the country.

Due to the global alert, measures by the United Kingdom, United States and Canada to curtail its spread have drastically affected international flight schedules, thereby creating discomfort for passengers.

Yesterday, many UK- bound passengers were stranded at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Shortly after the flight cancellation, the British High Commission announced its decision to put on hold visitor visa applications from red list countries, including Nigeria.

The commission however, explained that from 4 am today, only British and Irish nationals and residents travelling from Nigeria would be allowed into the country.

The commission also said they must isolate in a government-managed quarantine hotel.

However, the Federal Government expressed displeasure at its red listing by the United Kingdom government.

Canada also introduced new guidelines, including the rejection of results of molecular COVID-19 tests done in Nigeria and nine other African countries.

The U.S. said air passengers boarding a flight from a foreign country to any of its airports must get a COVID-19 viral test, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship, no more than one day before travel.

Virgin and British Airways are the biggest airlines carrying passengers on the Nigeria-London route. They carry on daily basis between 250 to 300n passengers daily.

A return ticket on any of the airline costs about N1 million, especially at this period of the year when not a few Nigerians had planned to reunite with their loved ones during the yuletide.

The flight suspension will lead to huge economic loss to the airlines should the restriction is sustained. Read more

Emirates Lands in Nigeria in Style 

Emirates has today touched down in both Abuja and Lagos, marking the restart of daily services to Nigeria from Dubai. It received a spectacular water canon welcome at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.

Both flights from Dubai, EK 785 to Abuja and EK 783 to Lagos, were welcomed to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport with water cannon salutes. Upon arrival, a cake cutting ceremony was also held between Emirates officials and the airport authorities to mark the resumption of operations.

Paulos Legesse, Country Manager Nigeria said: “We are delighted to resume operations to and from Nigeria, and are pleased to see strong interest from our customers, reflected in robust forward bookings from the time of our announcement, as well as today’s full flights from Dubai to Abuja and Lagos. The services will also give our customers the opportunity once again to safely experience Emirates’ superior product and service, offering them convenient travel options to Dubai, an already popular destination for Nigerian travellers, as well as seamless connectivity other key cities across our network.”

The aircraft being deployed to both Nigerian cities is the three class Boeing 777-300ER which offers 8 luxurious First Class suites, 42 generous Business Class seats, and over 300 seats in Economy Class.

Customers across all classes were able to enjoy the airline’s regional delicacies onboard, as well as its renowned in-flight entertainment system, ice, featuring over 4,500 channels of on-demand entertainment, including Nollywood films and content.

Emirates operates to Abuja with EK 785 and 786. EK 785 departs Dubai at 1100hrs, arriving in Abuja at 1540hrs. The return flight, EK 786 takes off from Abuja at 1900, arriving in Dubai at 0435hrs the next day. Emirates flight EK 783 to Lagos departs Dubai at 1030hrs, arriving in Lagos at 1540hrs. The return flight EK 784 departs Lagos at 1810hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0415hrs the next day.

Travelling to Dubai: Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound passengers arriving to Dubai, including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from. Travellers coming from Nigeria must hold a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 72 hours before departure.

Additionally, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has specified designated laboratories for passengers departing Nigeria and travellers must obtain their certificate from one of the labs listed here to be accepted on the flight. Travellers coming from Nigeria will also need to take another Covid-19 PCR test on arrival at Dubai International Airport.

Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July 2020, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities,

Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety. Read more

Airports Concession: Experts Urge National Security Consideration

A public affairs commentator, Dr. Dele Sobowale, has urged the Federal Government  to consider national security  and concession the airports to indigenous operators. The airports slated for Concessioning are Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt International Airport, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Sobowale who was speaking in Lagos warned that concessioning the airports to foreign entities   was a serious national security threat.

He  cited the case of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) which  has been  executing  the concession agreement for MMA2.

Based  on performance, he  continued that BASL should enjoy right of first refusal in at least one of the four international airports up for concessioning.

He stressed the need for the government to uphold the nation’s security  and  encourage the growth of indigenous companies.

The Group Executive Director, Resort International Limited, the parent company for Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, Mr. Luqman Balogun, argued that it was important for the Federal Government to allow the nation’s international airports to be managed by a Nigerian company with pedigree in airport management.

Balogun, said the airport management company had shown excellence in airport management in the past 14 years of managing the MMA2, adding that it was only normal for the government to give the company a chance to extend its expertise to the international terminals. Read more

IATA: Omicron Variant Could Hit Air Cargo

Global airlines’ regulator, International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that cargo capacity could come under pressure if governments adopt a knee-jerk reaction to the Omicron variant.

The body said the spate of travel bans and restrictions already issued by some countries were becoming disturbing for the business of air transportation, in particular air cargo.

The airline association said  in October cargo ton kilogrammes  increased by 9.4 per cent  compared with 2019 levels, but added that capacity could be affected by any government restrictions on travel in response to the new variant.

IATA Director-General Willie Walsh said: “October data reflected an overall positive outlook for air cargo. Supply chain congestion continued to push manufacturers towards the speed of air cargo.

“And capacity constraints were slowly resolving as more passenger travel meant more belly capacity for air cargo.

“The impact of government reactions to the Omicron variant is a concern. If it dampens travel demand, capacity issues will become more acute.

“After almost two years of COVID-19, governments have the experience and tools to make better data-driven decisions than the mostly knee-jerk reactions to restrict travel that we have seen to date.

“Restrictions will not stop the spread of Omicron. Along with urgently reversing these policy mistakes, the focus of governments should be squarely on ensuring the integrity of supply chains and increasing the distribution of vaccines.”

Countries around the world have introduced restrictions on travel from southern Africa as a result of the emergence of the new variant.

However, CLIVE Data Services Managing Director Niall van de Wouw said so far this has not had a major impact on capacity as airlines had been flying passenger aircraft on cargo-only operations anyway.

IATA said demand growth during October was in part fuelled by ongoing supply chain disruption.

“Supply chain disruptions and the resulting delivery delays have led to long supplier delivery times,” the association said. “This typically results in manufacturers using air transport, which is quicker, to recover time lost during the production process.” Read more

FG May Fine Airlines $3,500 Per Traveller In Revised Protocol

The Federal Government has revised the validity period of pre-boarding COVID-19 protocol for poly­merase chain reaction (PCR) test for all travellers entering or exiting Nigeria from 72 hours to 48 hours from the time of de­parting.

The government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authori­ty (NCAA) has also warned that any defaulting airline would be slammed $3,500 per passenger.

A circular to all-operator’s letter(AOL) to accountable man­agers and country managers of all international airlines, with reference number: NCAA/DG/ AIR/16/327, dated December 3, 2021, signed by Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of NCAA, and made available to Daily Independent said that the new order was sequel to the new protocol issued by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC).

According to NCAA, the revised order takes effect from 12:01a.m on Sunday, December 5, 2021.

NCAA emphasised that air­lines should note that aspects of NCAA-AC-AMS-006 (protocols for international flight opera­tions) other than Item No 1.0 (COVID-19) response provisional quarantine protocol for trav­ellersarriving Nigeria, issued on July 1, 2021 still subsist.

The circular said: “Airlines are to only board passengers travelling to Nigeria who are in possession of a paid permit to travel with a QR code and result of a negative COVID-19 PCRtest done not later than 48 hours from time of boarding.”

It further stated that for any passenger who is unable to ei­ther make payment for his/her repeat PCR test(s) or generate a paid permit to travel via the Nigerian International Travel Portal (NITP), airlines should send an email to the port health and copy the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Besides, NCAA insisted that for outbound passengers, air­lines are to only board passengers travelling out of Nigeria with evidence of either full vaccination for COVID-19 or result of negative COVID-19 PCR test done at NCDC accredited pri­vate laboratories, not later than 48 hours from time of boarding. Read more

U.K. Tightens Travel Testing Rules Amid Omicron Concerns

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government tightened travel restrictions Saturday amid concerns about the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, saying all travelers arriving in England will need to take a Covid-19 test before they board their flight.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the new rules will apply from 4 a.m. London time on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

“In light of the most recent data, we are taking further action to slow the incursion of the omicron variant,” he said in a tweet.

Javid also added Nigeria to the U.K.’s travel “red list,” which means that arrivals from there will be banned except for U.K. and Irish residents, and those travelers must isolate in designated quarantine facilities. He said there was a “significant number” of omicron cases linked to travel with Nigeria, with 27 cases recorded in England.

Karen Dee, the chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said the new measures will be a “major deterrent” to travel, just as airports and the travel industry were hoping for a small uplift over the festive season.
“This is a devastating blow for aviation and tourism,” she said.

Authorities recorded another 42,848 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.K. as of Saturday, with 127 more deaths. With over 145,000 Covid-19 deaths in the pandemic, Britain has the second-highest virus death toll in Europe after Russia.

Source: The Guardian Newspaper, The Nation Online, Daily Independent, Champion News