NBAA Issues Updated U.S. Arrival Restrictions for Business Aviation Operators Amid Ongoing Ebola Outbreak in Central Africa

The National Business Aviation Association issued updated guidance for business aircraft operators arriving in the United States in response to an ongoing Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. As of August 20, 2026, travelers who have been in the DRC within 21 days of their flight — including foreign nationals, U.S. citizens, and non-citizen nationals — are not permitted to board flights bound for the United States, and the restriction applies even to passengers on layovers or multi-step itineraries through the DRC who never left the aircraft. Anyone who has been in the DRC must remain outside the country for 21 days before attempting U.S. travel.

U.S. citizens and nationals who have been in Uganda or South Sudan within the past 21 days, but not in the DRC, may enter the United States only through four designated airports: Washington Dulles International Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, or New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. Foreign nationals, including lawful permanent residents and family members, may not enter the United States or board U.S.-bound flights until they have been outside Uganda or South Sudan for at least 21 days.

NBAA's Director of International Operations and Regulations, Laura Everington, advised operators requesting permission to land at one of the four designated airports — typically 24 to 48 hours prior to arrival — to contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection directly regarding additional requirements, secondary screening, or alternate clearance locations. Operators needing help determining a traveler's eligibility should collect identifying, contact, passport, citizenship, itinerary, and travel history information and submit it to Ebola-Travel-HELP@hq.dhs.gov, while Americans needing help with travel changes, temporary lodging, or consular services were told to contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate or the State Department's emergency consular assistance line. This guidance follows a similar notice NBAA issued in May 2026.

Public-health-driven entry rules are a recurring category of disruption for international business aviation: a disease outbreak in one region can reshape which U.S. airports are legally reachable for certain passengers, independent of aircraft type or operator size. Because the restriction is tied to a traveler's own movement history rather than to the flight's origin, an itinerary can be blocked even when the aircraft itself never touched the affected country.

For operators flying international trips through Central or East Africa, this narrows usable U.S. arrival points to four airports for a defined class of travelers and adds a coordination step with Customs and Border Protection ahead of landing. The 21-day clock attached to each restricted country means eligibility can change flight to flight as a traveler's exposure window ages out.

What happens next depends on how the outbreak in the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan develops and whether NBAA issues further updates, as it did between its May 2026 notice and this one. Operators and brokers with itineraries touching those countries should track NBAA's guidance page and confirm CBP requirements directly ahead of each trip rather than relying on the prior notice's terms.