The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has seized a British plane for flouting a travel ban imposed as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the aviation minister said Sunday.
Flair Aviation, the airline involved, was authorised to conduct humanitarian flights but was caught operating commercial flights, Hadi Sirika said on his Twitter account.
“This is callous!” he wrote. “The craft is impounded, the crew being interrogated. There shall be maximum penalty. Wrong time to try our resolve.”
There was no immediate reaction on Sunday from either the company or the British embassy on the matter.
Nigeria has shut its airports and airspace since March to contain COVID-19, which has so far infected 5,621 people and claimed 176 lives there.
Kudos to the Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika for impounding this Flair Airlines plane for flouting Nigeria’s covid-19 travel ban.
This article was published by PM News Nigeria about Flair Aviation, but was incorrectly associated to Flair Airlines Ltd. by use of an image of our aircraft.
Flair Airlines Ltd., a Canadian owned and operated company, does not have authority to fly any aircraft – commercial, charter or cargo – to or from the Federal Republic of Nigeria or to any other country within Africa.
The airline in question by Nigerian authorities is not Flair Airlines Ltd., and its employees and aircraft are not involved or engaged in this situation. We have asked the publication to correct its story and retract our image.
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