COVID-19 breach: FG may fine airlines $94,500
The Federal Government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority could impose a total penalty of $94,500 on international airlines for breaching COVID-19 safety protocols as established by the Presidential Task Force.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said on Thursday at PTF briefing in Abuja that the culpable airlines flew in 27 passengers into Nigeria with no negative PCR test result on Covid-19.
In August, the PTF said airlines that failed to comply with the laid down international flight safety protocols against the spread of Covid-19 will be slammed a $3,500 fine per passenger.
This implies that for the 27 passengers that were flown into Nigeria by the airlines, the carriers will pay a total penalty of $94,500 to the government through the NCAA.
Sirika said some of the 27 passengers arrived the country with rapid test results, which were not accepted, while others came with expired CPR results and the remaining had no results at all.
“The protocol and procedure is that the airlines that have brought in these passengers, will, of course, answer and will be dealt with according to the law’.
Sirika added, “For those violations, the NCAA will deal with them accordingly”.
The aviation minister further stated that all inbound flights were only allowed to have maximum of 200 passengers, while they could carry as much as they wanted outbound.
Sirika also states that Emirates Airline was now allowed to fly into Nigeria, beginning Friday.
This came as the PTF said 60,000 environmental health workers have been mobilised to ensure safe reopening of schools across the country.
Meanwhile, airlines are on the verge of a looming cash crisis, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said.
It warned that the airline industry would lose $77bn in the second half of 2020 despite the restart of operations, according to a statement titled, “Looming cash crisis threatens airlines”, dated October 6.
IATA explained that the slow recovery in air travel would see the airline industry continuing to burn through cash at an average rate of $5bn to $6bn per month in 2021.
The international body representing 290 airlines called on government to support the industry during the coming season with additional relief measures, including financial aid that does not add more debt to the industry’s already highly indebted balance sheet.