Emirates to Resume Flights to Nigeria Soon – Keyamo
Nigeria’s Aviation and Aerospace Minister, Festus Keyamo, on Sunday announced Emirates will resume flights to the country.
The airline suspended operations to Nigeria over its inability to repatriate its $85 million revenue trapped in the country. The suspension was the second time the airline halted flights to Nigeria. The first time was in August, 2022.
Keyamo made the disclosure in a statement, explaining that he was in Dubai for the 2023 air show which afforded him the opportunity to hold useful discussions with the Emirati government over the modalities for Emirates to return to Nigerian skies.
Keyamo also disclosed that the Emirati government has granted the approval to Nigeria’s flag carrier, Air Peace, to commence direct flights into and out of the prime airport in Dubai, instead of Sharjah.
The Sharjah slot has been a contentious one as Air Peace management wondered why Emirates would fly into Abuja and Lagos airports, Nigeria’s busiest terminals, while it was denied access into Dubai but Sharjah, a distant terminal, making it very difficult for its passengers to connect to other destinations.
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Keyamo also leveraged the air show to inspect modern technologies that could be of use in driving his 5-point agenda for the aviation industry, particularly on the improvement of infrastructure and promotion of innovation and creativity in cutting-edge technologies relating to civil aviation.
According to him, the event afforded him the golden opportunity to interface with the representatives of the companies who shared their insights and expertise, and showcased their latest technologies.
The minister also met with the management of Airline Executive, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dana Hatcic. The company indicated interest in establishing a Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) facility in Nigeria.
The minister said the company will have to come to Nigeria to resuscitate the deal and chart the way forward.
The minister hinted of the possibility of a maiden edition of the Nigeria Air Show sometime in November 2024, thereby becoming the first African country to organise such an event. Some of the exhibitors at the Dubai Airshow have made commitments to be at the maiden edition of Nigeria’s Airshow.
The Dubai Airshow which commenced on the 13th November and concluded on the 17th of November, 2023 attracted many participants from around the world, including leading aviation and aerospace industry specialists.
