Emirates Airline has announced the resumption of its daily operations to Nigeria.
Due to difficulties in repatriating trapped funds, the airline ceased operations in Nigeria in October 2022.
The resumption of services is to commence from October 1, according to a statement posted on the official website of the airline on Thursday.
“We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. The Lagos-Dubai service has traditionally been popular with customers in Nigeria and we hope to reconnect leisure and business travellers to Dubai and onwards to our network of over 140 destinations,” Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said.
“We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard.”
On September 11, 2023, FIJ had reported that Ajuri Ngelale, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson, claimed that the United Arab Emirates had lifted its visa ban on Nigerians.
“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” Ngelale said following Tinubu’s meeting with UAE’s President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
But that presidential claim turned out to be false. On September 15, 2023, FIJ also reported that an official of the UAE government told CNN that the visa ban status remained unchanged even after Tinubu’s meeting with Al Nahyan.
READ ALSO: UAE Official Denies Country Lifted Visa Ban on Nigerians
“There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far,” the official said.
The next October will make it exactly two years that the airline stopped issuing visas to nationals of 20 African countries, including Nigeria.
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