About 25 Nigerian Passengers Still Expected in Antigua Despite Air Peace Flight Diversion

Approximately 25 passengers from Nigeria are still expected to arrive in Antigua and Barbuda, even after the government decided that the first scheduled Air Peace flight from Lagos would bypass Antigua and land in Barbados instead.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the diversion was made out of caution as authorities respond to concerns surrounding Ebola outbreaks reported in parts of Africa.

Under the revised travel arrangement, the Air Peace aircraft is expected to fly directly to Barbados, where passengers destined for Antigua and Barbuda will later be transported to the twin-island nation by LIAT.

“We got to have some of them here. At least 25, even though they’re landing in Barbados, about 25 of them will come here,” Browne said during his weekend radio programme.

The Prime Minister explained that the government opted against allowing the aircraft to land directly in Antigua on its inaugural trip because officials wanted to reduce any potential public health risk while still maintaining the broader Africa-Caribbean travel initiative.

Passengers travelling onward to Antigua and Barbuda are expected to undergo health screening either before departure from Barbados or upon arrival in Antigua as part of enhanced surveillance measures now being implemented at ports of entry.

Browne said the government has also reactivated the country’s Infectious Disease Centre as part of its preparedness plan.

“If any of them were to take ill while they’re here, we can easily isolate them and of course do the necessary contact tracing,” he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that Antigua and Barbuda remains committed to strengthening direct ties between Africa and the Caribbean, noting that the country has long supported efforts to establish an air bridge between the two regions.

“Normally we’re very entrepreneurial,” Browne said. “But if we were to push the envelope and anything happens, now they’re going to say, ‘Hey, this is deliberate.’”

His comments also reflect lingering sensitivity surrounding the Antigua Airways migrant controversy of 2022 and 2023, when hundreds of African nationals arrived in Antigua and Barbuda under a separate air bridge initiative that later triggered political backlash and regional concern.

Officials say the current approach is aimed at balancing regional connectivity ambitions with public health protection and stricter precautionary measures.