200 Nigerians to be evacuated from Canada on Thursday

About 200 Nigerians stranded in Canada are to be evacuated from the North American country on Thursday, the Nigeria High Commission in Canada said in a statement on Monday.

The Nigerians became stranded in the country due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

According to the High Commission, it had received no fewer than 200 requests for evacuation, adding that a Boeing 777 aircraft operated by Air Peace had been specially arranged to fly the intending returnees home this Thursday.

The High Commission however noted that the Thursday flight could be the only special evacuation flight for Nigerian nationals stranded in Canada due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It further added that the plane would pick the intending passengers from Toronto and Alberta.

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The flight schedule releases by the High Commission indicated that the aircraft is expected to pick the first set from the Pearson International Airport, Toronto, from where it will fly to the Calgary International Airport, Alberta, a distance of 2,915 k.m., to pick the second set of passengers.

The aircraft will then depart Alberta for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where the evacuees would be moved into isolation for 14 days.

The one-way flight, according to the High Commission, will cost each prospective evacuee between 1,130 dollars (N452,000) and 2,000 dollars (N800,000) depending on the class.

It would be recalled that 265 Nigerians stranded in the United Arab Emirates were evacuated on Wednesday, with another 253 brought back from the United Kingdom.

Similarly, 160 Nigerians stranded in the United States were brought back to the country on Sunday.

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