The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has hinted that the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines may resume flight operations to Nigeria before June 2024.
The Minister said this on Monday while reacting to the airline’s suspension of flights to Nigeria in October 2022.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Monday, Keyamo disputed the anchor’s claim that the announcement made by the federal government in October 2023 regarding the resumption of flights between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was false, since flights between both countries are yet to commence.
He noted that, contrary to what the anchor and others believed, the news was not fake but premature, as the resumption of flights between Nigeria and the UAE, particularly the return of Emirates Airline flights to Nigeria, will happen soon, likely before June.
He confirmed that all issues leading to Emirates Airlines’ suspension of operations in Nigeria have been resolved and that they are prepared to resume operations in Nigeria.
- “It was not a fake news; it was a hasty news.
- “It is almost happening.
- “I just received a letter from Emirates thanking us for going through all the gamut and that they are ready to come back.
- “They will announce the date.
- “It may be before June.
- It will be definitely before the summer,” Keyamo clarified.
The Aviation Minister clarified that though the federal government had earlier announced the resumption of flights between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the airline could resume operations in Nigeria before June 2024, with the delay attributed to last-minute arrangements.
Speaking further on the repatriation of trapped funds, which led to the suspension of some foreign airlines’ operations in Nigeria, Keyamo clarified that all trapped funds of airlines under the purview of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have been cleared.
He further stated that the remaining trapped funds of airlines in Nigeria are held in commercial banks in the country. According to him, these commercial banks lack the capacity to obtain the necessary foreign exchange and transfer the funds to the airlines.
Back story
- In October 2022, Emirates Airlines suspended flight operations to Nigeria due to its inability to repatriate trapped funds in the country.
- In the statement announcing the suspension, Emirates Airline revealed that despite promises and encouragements from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address its foreign exchange requests, no allocation had been made to them, hence the suspension.
- In October 2023, President Bola Tinubu, on a diplomatic working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reached a deal with the UAE President to lift the visa ban on Nigerians and resume flights between the two countries.
- While the agreement was made in October 2023, the Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, had clarified that officials from Nigeria and the UAE would still need to finalize the details of the agreement for ratification and implementation, hence implying that airlines would not begin operations immediately.
