(Adds FlairJet comment)
ABUJA, May 17 (Reuters) - Nigeria impounded a plane operated
by a British company for allegedly contravening a flight ban
imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the aviation
minister said on Sunday.
Passenger flights into the country, with the exception of
ones to evacuate people or repatriate Nigerian citizens, have
been banned for weeks. The ban will remain in place until at
least June 4. Flights for essential services, such as the delivery of food
supplies and items for humanitarian use, are permitted.
Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said on Twitter on Sunday that
a plane had been impounded after the rules were broken.
Sirika said a UK company "was given approval for
humanitarian operations but regrettably we caught them
conducting commercial flights".
The message added: "The craft is impounded, crew being
interrogated. There shall be maximum penalty."
James Oduadu, an aviation ministry spokesman, told Reuters
later in a telephone interview that the plane was operated by a
company called FlairJet.
FlairJet, a British private charter company that is an
affiliate of Flexjet, in a statement said the matter was an
"evolving situation".
"We are continuing to respectfully work with the Nigerian
authorities to resolve this situation," it said.