The airline Emirates has been banned for the second time in two months by the government of Nigeria. The background is a dispute in connection with the Covid test program, in which both sides feel discriminated in a certain way. Freight and ambulance flights are excluded from the flight ban.

The golf carrier in Nigeria received a ban at the beginning of February 2021, but the dispute was quickly settled. The government of the African state considers it "nonsensical" that Emirates requires people who leave Nigeria to have three negative corona tests in total. A PCR test must be completed one day before departure, a rapid antigen test at the airport and a new PCR test after landing in Dubai. Nigeria's aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, considers this to be "exaggerated, nonsensical and discriminatory".

"Emirates is still in close dialogue with the relevant regulators and authorities in Nigeria and we are determined to make progress on a solution to ensure the continuation and expansion of our business," the airline concerned said in a statement.