LAGOS: Nigeria's Arik Air has suspended flights to Johannesburg after some 125 Nigerians were turned away from South Africa after health officials in the country refused their entry. The airline said that flights between Lagos and Johannesburg, both financial capitals of the countries, would not continue until South Africa responded to its passengers' demands. “We are waiting to hear the situation on the ground before we return to the air because passengers cannot be turned away in large numbers like this,” said an Arik official, speaking to Bikyamasr.com on condition of anonymity. South Africa said that Nigerian passengers must present yellow fever vaccination documents in order to be allowed entry to the country. Arik, the only Nigeria-owned airline on the lucrative Lagos-Johannesburg route, said that 50 passengers were refused entry on Friday while ThisDay newspaper said that 75 other Nigerian passengers on South Africa Airways were also turned back. “Many passengers have been detained and refused entry in recent months,” the airline said in a statement. It said health authorities gave the reason as incorrect or unrecognized batch numbers on the documentation which is mandatory proof before entry. Hundreds of Nigerian and West African passengers traveling from the region are being refused entry into South Africa, the airline alleged. Arik described the protocol as “irregular and obfuscating” and said it was not prepared to continue operations into a country where customers were at risk of detention or “any other measures meted out arbitrarily by the authorities.” The airline's chief executive, Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, said that the protocol was “haphazard” and “discriminatory to many of our passengers,” according to the statement. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/DWuxX Tags: Arik Air, Flights, Nigeria, South Africa Section: Health, Latest News, Travel, West Africa
