Ebola: Nigeria suspends Gambian airline

Nigeria has suspended the Gambian national airline from flying into the country, due to what the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) described as the airline’s “unsatisfactory” measures to contain the spread of Ebola virus.

In a letter to the Gambia Bird Airlines obtained by AFP, NCAA said: The NCAA has reviewed the measures put in place by your airline as contained in your letter of 30th July, 2014 and have found these measures unsatisfactory.

“Consequently, your flights into Nigeria have been temporarily suspended with immediate effect until such a time that you are able to put in place acceptable and satisfactory measures”

The Gambian national carrier flies to Lagos twice weekly. It also flies to other African countries in the region: Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Senegal.

NCAA said that part of its efforts to curb the spread of the virus was to direct all airlines operating into Nigeria from Guinea, Freetown and Monrovia “to put in place adequate measures to ensure that passengers with this disease are not boarded and brought into the country.”

“Such measures may include suspension of flights into these countries,” NCAA added.

AFP