Mega carrier, Emirates has debunked claims that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) policy that bars transit travelers from Nigeria to Dubai and stipulated testing requirements for passengers are in no way intended to single out Nigerian passengers.
The UAE in a travel advisory tagged, “Dubai Travel Protocol Update -Travel from Nigeria”, stated that all departing Nigerians to Dubai are required to obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate, adding that the PCR should be conducted within 72 hours of the date of departure.
It further stated that all passengers are required to conduct a rapid COVID-19 test and obtain a negative result within four hours of their departure time.
“Passengers must travel directly from Nigeria to Dubai. No passengers may enter Dubai from any other country/station if they have visited or transited via Nigeria in the last 14 days.”
This is coming against the reports of purported plans by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to sanction the airline for the action it took against the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The NCAA as at press time was yet to react to the policy which many other nations are deploying to stem the rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic.