NCAA: Airlines to pay $3500 per passenger for flouting revised COVID-19 travelling protocol

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says airlines will pay a penalty fee of $3,500 per passenger for not complying with the revised COVID-19 travelling protocol.

This was contained in an All Operators Letter (AOL) issued by the authority to all airlines operating international flights on December 3.

The statement, signed by Musa Nuhu, NCAA director-general, was released on the authority’s website on Tuesday. 

The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 had issued a revised provisional quarantine protocol for travellers arriving or departing Nigeria, effective from December 5 due to Omicron variant concerns.

According to the revised travel protocol, all travellers are expected to conduct “COVID-19 PCR test within 48hrs before departure, post-arrival day 2 COVID-19 PCR test, self-isolation for 7 days (for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals), and day 7 post-arrival exit PCR test (for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals)”.

It added that all outbound travellers should provide either valid evidence of full vaccination against COVID-19 or negative PCR test results within 48hrs from the time of boarding.

In line with the revised protocol, NCAA also directed the airlines to ensure the COVID-19 travelling protocols were strictly adhered to by its customers. 

NCAA further said that repeated non-compliance to these pre-boarding requirements could lead to an outright ban. 

“Non-compliance to these pre-boarding requirements by any airline will attract a penalty of $3,500 per passenger,” NCAA said.

“Airlines who consistently fail to comply with these requirements may be banned from coming to Nigeria.”

NCAA noted that aspects of the protocol for international flight operations other than provisional quarantine protocol for travellers arriving in Nigeria issued on July 1 still subsist.