British Airways Delayed Nigeria-bound Passengers For 1:46Hrs Over Crew Members’ Late COVID-19 Testing

British Airways passengers on a scheduled flight to Abuja from the London Heathrow Airport were left stranded on Wednesday due to alleged inability of the cabin crew to get results for their COVID-19 tests before takeoff.

It was learnt that the crew could not board due to the UK Government’s regulation requiring crew members who embark on international travel to undergo frequent Rapid Lateral Flow coronavirus (COVID-19) tests before getting on an aircraft.

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One of the passengers told THE WHISTLER that the BA083 flight was delayed because “crew members’ COVID-19 test results have not come out”.

Records obtained from flight tracking website, Trip.com, showed that the flight which was scheduled to depart the London Heathrow Airport at 22:30 pm on Wednesday eventually left at 00:16 am on Friday, about 1 hour 46 minutes late.

A company accredited to carry out Covid-19 testing attributed the delay in getting results to “recent travel regulation changes by the UK government”.

Meanwhile, amidst grumbles from travel companies, the UK Government has scrapped the requirement for fully vaccinated travelers to present negative PCR or antigen test results before arriving the country.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who made the announcement on Wednesday, said the measure introduced a month ago to slow down the Omicron COVID-19 variant was having “limited impact”.

The removal also implies that travelers arriving in the country would no longer need to self-isolate unless they’re confirmed positive.

Also, fully vaccinated travelers bellow the age of 18 would now be allowed to use lateral flow tests rather than more expensive PCRs.

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