Emirates Airlines suspends all flight operations in Nigeria

Emirate Airlines has announced that it would suspend operations in Nigeria starting from September 1, 2022.

The decision by Emirates Airlines to stop operations in Nigeria was announced via a statement on Thursday morning in Lagos.

At least, $600 million from over 20 foreign airlines has been blocked in Nigeria since the beginning of the year.

Emirates had about two weeks ago said that out of these funds, it had about $85 million in Nigeria.

Recall that the airline had issues with repatriating trapped tickets sales funds in Nigeria back to United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The airline had on Monday cut its 11 weekly frequencies into Lagos Airport to just seven.

A statement by the media consultant to the airline in Nigeria alleged that all efforts to repatriate the funds had proved abortive and it was compelled to decide on suspending all flights into the country.

The airline’s statement on Thursday said: ”Emirates has tried every avenue to address our ongoing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria, and we have made considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities for their urgent intervention to help find a viable solution.

”Regrettably, there has been no progress. Therefore, Emirates has taken the difficult decision to suspend all flights to and from Nigeria, effective September 1, 2022, to limit further losses and impact on our operational costs that continue to accumulate in the market.

”We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our customers, however, the circumstances are beyond our control at this stage. We will be working to help impacted customers make alternative travel arrangements wherever possible.

”Should there be any positive developments in the coming days regarding Emirates’ blocked funds in Nigeria, we will of course re-evaluate our decision. We remain keen to serve Nigeria, and our operations provide much-needed connectivity for Nigerian travelers, providing access to trade and tourism opportunities to Dubai and our broader network of over 130 destinations.”The emirate

Following the high cost of aviation fuel, and astronomical charges recently introduced by aviation agencies, international airlines have increased airfares by 100 percent, a development that has adversely affected domestic and international flight services in the country.

The airlines include major international carriers like Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and Emirates Airlines, among others.