Coronavirus News & Updates

Nigerians Stuck In Airport Purgatory: Real-life ‘The Terminal’

Published

5 months ago

19/05/2020

Nigerians Stuck In Airport Purgatory: Real-life ‘The Terminal’ | Samui Times

Three Nigerians have set up living quarters within Suvarnabhumi Airport, as they remain in a purgatory-like situation as they are unable to fly to their destinations and do not have entry visas for Thailand.

Suvarnabhumi Airport confirmed that three Nigerians have been stuck for more than two months while waiting for a connecting flight to Myanmar and Laos.

The airport’s Special Affairs and Community Relations Department said two of the Nigerians landed at the airport in Thailand’s capital on March 21 on an Emirates Airlines flight and were scheduled to take a connecting Lao Airlines flight to Laos, while the other person arrived at Suvarnabhumi on March 24 on an Etihad Airways plane and was to take a connecting Bangkok Airways flight to Myanmar.

But upon arriving, they found out their destination countries had closed incoming flights. The Nigerians couldn’t fly back home either as both Emirates and Etihad Airways cancelled their flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The three stranded passengers did not apply for a visa to enter Thailand causing the Immigration Division to keep them at the airport.

In response, The Immigration Division is reportedly coordinating with the Nigerian Embassy to help their stranded citizens.

The airport is meanwhile providing assistance to them by providing food, drinking water and basic care.

All three have undergone tests at the international communicable disease control checkpoint with none testing positive for Covid-19.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

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