The Federal Government has announced the re-instatement of ministerial approval of Emirates Airlines Winter Schedule.
This follows further consultation with various stakeholders and letter from Dubai CAA dated December 17, 2021, offering Air Peace Airlines daily slots at Dubai Airports.
This was made known in a letter issued by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to Emirates Airline, and signed by its Director-General, Captain Musa Nuhu, on December 21, 2021, and seen by Nairametrics.
NCAA in the letter said that the approval is predicated on compliance with the Dubai Travel protocol as released by Dubai Airports on Friday November 26, 2021, as it affects passengers travelling from Nigeria to UAE.
What the letter from NCAA is saying
The letter from NCAA reads, ‘’Following further consultations with various stakeholders and the letter from Dubai CAA with reference number DCAA/ASA/N-3/016 dated 17th December 2021 offering Air Peace Airlines daily slots at Dubai Airports (DXB), I wish to inform you the re-instatement of the Ministerial approval of Emirates Airlines Winter Schedule.
‘’This approval is predicated on compliance with the Dubai Travel Protocol as released by Dubai Airports on Friday 26th November as it affects passengers travelling from Nigeria to UAE.
‘’Please be guided accordingly.
‘’Please accept the assurances of my highest regards.’’
In case you missed it
Recall that earlier in December, the NCAA announced the withdrawal of the ministerial approval on Winter flight schedule given to Emirates Airlines due to the same treatment given to Air Peace Airlines, the only Nigerian airline that operates passenger flights to Sharjah International Airport, UAE.
The NCAA said that it had held several meetings with its UAE counterpart demanding fair treatment for Air Peace without any favourable consideration.
The agency said that the approval of the airline has been limited to operate only one weekly passenger frequency to Abuja on Thursdays.
However, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in its response stated that the decision by Nigeria’s NCAA is totally unjustified, especially as it has been disclosed that the action is being taken against the background of Air Peace not securing all 3 slots at Sharjah Airport which they desired.
The GCAA said that Air Peace initially operated at Sharjah Airport, shifted to Dubai Airport and then returned to Sharjah airport and that it would be unreasonable for the airline to expect any airport to maintain its slots when it ceases to operate at the airport.
