The list of international airlines was announced by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, during a briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

According to Mr Sirika, only the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos will be opened on Saturday to receive International flights.

The aviation minister said that the airlines denied flying approval include Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Royal line Morocco Air Namibia, Etihad, and Rwanda Air.

However, he also announced those airlines permitted to operate within the country’s airspace.

They include British Airways, Emirates, Middle East Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, Ethiopia, and Egypt Air.

He said that the airlines are expected to operate within the COVID-19 protocols.

Mr Sirika reemphasized that, only passengers who test negative to the PCR test at least four days to departure will be allowed to fly into Nigeria.

The minister said that a second PCR test will be conducted upon arrival, and passengers who cheat the system will be forced into quarantine.

Similarly, he maintained that defaulting airlines will be sanctioned, and they will bear the cost of returning such passengers to their destination.

He stated that passengers who fail to submit for the PCR test, after seven days of arrival, will be on a watch list and be denied international travel for six months.