The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed airlines to ferry passengers without QR codes onboard their aircraft.
This is as the regulatory agency threatened to sanction any airline that airlifts passengers without the negative COVID-19 PCR tests to Nigeria to the tune of $3,500 per passenger.
NCAA in a circular to the airlines, especially the foreign carriers, said that this became necessary following the difficulties several intending passengers are having with the use of the online platform for uploading information before their flights.
QR Codes are popularly known as 2D barcodes. By scanning them via a smartphone, travellers can access the information encoded.
The online hitches have continued to make payments and printing of QR codes required for travel to Nigeria very difficult for several passengers.
In a circular dated September 8, 2020, signed by Capt. Musa Nuhu, Director-General, NCAA, urged the airlines not to disembark such passengers on their flights.
The memo read in part: “Airlines are hereby notified that the presentation of evidence of payment receipt in the form of a QR code is recommended for all passengers but not a mandatory requirement for boarding flights to Nigeria for now.
“Airlines are advised to allow passengers without a QR code to board as a temporary measure until additional on-going work to the payment platform is completed. Airlines will be informed in the coming days of any changes in this requirement.”
