This archive report was first published on 25 May 2020.
On May 17, 2020, Nigeria impounded a Flairjet plane and interrogated its crew after it landed in the country with passengers in violation of Covid-19 travel regulations.
The plane had been approved for humanitarian operations, but it had not been cleared to carry passengers.
Nigeria's Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, stated that the plane had violated the country's Civil Aviation Regulations.
As a result, the airline was fined $3,300 and reported to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UK High Commission.
At the time, Nigeria had suspended all international flights to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, with the exception of flights for repatriating citizens stranded abroad.
Meanwhile, Nigeria expressed outrage over Canada's refusal to grant Air Peace landing rights to evacuate Nigerians in the country, citing safety concerns.
