Emirates Airlines, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is set to resume flights to Nigeria after a period of suspension. This decision comes after a series of discussions between Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and UAE officials to address communication issues between the two countries.
In an interview on Arise Television, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, revealed that Emirates Airlines has expressed their readiness to resume flights to Nigeria in a letter sent to the Nigerian government. Keyamo emphasized that the previous communication breakdown was not fabricated but was hastily presented.
Keyamo stated, “Emirates flight resumption is almost happening. I just received a letter from Emirates. The letter is on my phone now. They have gone through all the gamut and they are ready to come back. They will announce the date because to restart a route, they must get an aircraft for that route.”
He further added, “I am announcing to Nigerians for the first time; that I just received a letter from Emirates now. The letter is with me. I have a hard copy thanking you for all the efforts we made. Mr President was the showman here. He was the one who pushed for it. He made my job easy because he went there, and had a diplomatic shuttle to resolve all the issues.”
Keyamo reassured the public that the issues have been resolved, and Emirates Airlines will soon announce the date for their next flight to Nigeria, possibly before June.
In addition to the suspension of flights to Nigeria, the UAE Immigration Department had also halted visa applications from 22 countries in 2022, including 20 African nations. This move had caused disruptions in travel and trade between the UAE and these countries.
The resumption of Emirates flights to Nigeria signifies a positive step towards strengthening the relationship between the two nations and facilitating smoother travel for passengers. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
