Victor EzejaUAE airline, Emirates has suspended all its flight operations to Nigeria.
The airline annouced the suspension in a statement on Friday following the action of Nigerian government by reducing its schedule of 21 weekly passenger flight frequencies to Nigeria to just one in retaliation for the United Arab Emirates’ refusal to approve Airpeace Airline’s application for three weekly flights to the country.
Emirates in the statement said, “With the recently imposed directive limiting Emirates to operate one flight per week to Nigeria via Abuja, Emirates will be completely suspending its flights between Nigeria and Dubai, until the civil aviation authorities find a solution to the current ongoing issue.
“We regret the inconvenience this caused, and customers can contact their travel agents or booking office to make alternative arrangements.
“Emirates is committed to its operations in Nigeria, and we stand ready to reinstate services once restrictions are lifted by the Nigerian authorities, ensuring travellers have more choice and access to trade and tourism opportunities in Dubai, and beyond to our network of over 120 destinations.”
The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu had said on Friday that Nigeria applied the principle of reciprocity to withdraw the Winter Flight Schedule earlier approved for Emirates airline, thereby granting only one slot per week.
Nuhu said the Emirates’ Winter Flight schedule was approved in the spirit of bilateral Air Service Agreement between the two countries following the lifitng of ban of Emirates Airline flights to Nigeria.
The DG of NCAA noted that when Airpeace the only Nigerian Airline that operates flight to the Sharjah International Airport requested for three weekly flight frequencies, only one was granted, with an excuse by the DG of UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority that slots were not available at the airport.
Nuhu further explained that BASA between countries are usually based on the principle of reciprocity for transparency and fairness to both parties.
“While Nigeria authorities approved the request of Emirates Airlines, UAE authorities acted in total disregard of the terms and provisions of the BASA between the two countries by approving one out of three weekly passenger flight frequencies requested by Airpeace Airlines. The DG NCAA held a series of meetings with his GCAA (UAE) counterpart at the sidelines of the ICAO Air Negotiation Conference (ICAN) in Bogota, Colombia which all ended in stalemates,” Nuhu stated, adding that “national interests in all Aviation matters will be jealously guarded while regretting any inconvenience this action might cause.”
Reactong to the development, the former deputy governor of CBN and African Democratic Congress presidential aspirant in 2023, Prof Kingsley Moghalu in his Twitter handle said it was the right decision from Nigerian authority.
“Exactly the point I was making when I called on @NigeriaGov to apply some reciprocity in the matter of #Covid19 #omicronapartheid . Our government gets it right here in the area of airline privileges, and I commend it for this action to protect Nigeria’s national interest,” Moghalu tweeted.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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