No fewer than 188 Europeans were evacuated from Nigeria on Friday through the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.
The flight was operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft owned by Austrian Airlines, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group.
Amongst those on the flight were Germans and Austrians.
“A total of 188 passengers were able to travel home from Nigeria’s
capital Abuja today. Many thanks to the Austrian Foreign Affairs
Ministry for the common support of European citizen wishing to return. Europeans at the check-in counters
“We are grateful for the cooperation with the Nigerian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Aviation and other partners in
the organization of this essential flight after the closure of Nigerian
airports for international flights,” the German Mission in Nigeria
stated. Europeans waiting to board the flightThe PUNCH had reported that 495 Europeans were evacuated
from Nigeria on Thursday through the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos. Pilots inside the cockpit of the aircraft
Other countries such as the UK, the US and Israel have started
evacuating their citizens from Nigeria amid the coronavirus pandemic. The aircraft during take-off to Austria
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Geoffrey Onyeama, said on Friday the foreigners were leaving Nigeria to use their medical facilities which they are familiar with.
