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FG Lifts Ban on Lufthansa, Air France/KLM

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has said all international airports in the country may resume international flight operations before the end of the year, .
The Minister disclosed on his Twitter handle on Tuesday.

Lufthansa, Air France/KLM have been approved to operate international flights into Nigeria. Sirika also added that Qatar Airways has been approved to resume flights to Abuja.

\The Minister hinted at the possibility of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, and Enugu Airport accommodating foreign travelers before year-end.
According to him, the federal government through the Ministry of Aviation is working with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, and other relevant bodies to ensure that the airports meet all safety and health requirements and protocols.

The tweet read, “We are working with Ministry of Health, CACOVID & The PTF to open Kano, Port Harcourt & possibly Enugu airports before the end of the year. Also Lufthansa, Air France/KLM have been given go-ahead to resume. Qatar Airways is approved to start Abuja. Thank you for your patience.”
Recall that in September, the Nigerian government barred some airlines from entering the West African nation as it resumed international flight operations.

The airlines include Air France, KLM Royal Dutch, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, RwandAir, Air Namibia, Royal Air Maroc, and TAAG Angola.
This was a bold call from the Nigerian government to the treatment meted out to Nigerians with tourist visas that were denied entrance into the airlines’ home countries.

The ones that fell under this category were: Air France, KLM Royal Dutch, Lufthansa, and Etihad Airways.

According to Sirika, all hands are on deck to ensure that all logistic and policy necessities will be put in place to address difficulties encountered by international travelers, especially with festive seasons around the corner.

In granting the approvals, Senator Sirika emphasized the need for airlines operating in the country to employ international best practices in handling Nigerian passengers, as the government will not tolerate any form of maltreatment of its citizens by any airline.

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