The Staff Vice President, Sales, Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, Delta Airlines, Shane Spyak has revealed that Delta Airlines no longer has challenges repatriating funds from ticket sales from Nigeria to the United States. It would be recalled that some airline left when it became difficult for foreign airlines to repatriate funds due to scarcity of foreign exchange.
The present administration has implemented some far-reaching reforms in line with its Ease-of-Doing business initiative and this has given some relief to the foreign airline.The United States carrier Delta Airlines is the only airline that operates nonstop flights between Nigeria and the United States and in the last 10 years, the airline had airlifted more than 1.12 million passengers between Nigeria and the United States.
“Repatriation was difficult for one and a half years, but these issues are now behind us. Recently, we have been repatriating funds easily,” he said.
He also revealed plans by the airline to commence flight from March 26, 2018. The airline will operate daily service between Lagos and the US, with four weekly flights to Atlanta, complemented by three new weekly flights to the John F. Kennedy Airport, New York.
“Both routes will be operated using A330-200 aircraft recently introduced onto the Lagos-Atlanta route, adding more seats and offering an enhanced on-board experience. In addition to fully flat-bed seats in Delta One, Wi-Fi access, screens at every seat and free mobile messaging throughout the aircraft, Delta’s services between Lagos and Atlanta are tailored to meet the preferences of local customers.“These include regionally inspired cuisine with locally sourced ingredients, offering a wider selection of sodas and fruit juices, and showcasing Nigeria’s vibrant film industry. Lagos forms part of Delta’s Africa network, which also includes service to Accra, Ghana; Dakar, Senegal; and Johannesburg, South Africa, and we RECOGNIZE the importance of CUSTOMIZING our offers for our Nigerian clients.”
The Delta Airline senior official assured that the airline remains committed to continuously servicing Nigerian market which he noted remains very strong despite the recession.
“The market is still growing and challenging as well. But it has been a positive one for us within a challenging time. The number of people who are desired to travel has not gone down and we shall always be there to take them,” he said.
