Lagos — United Arab Emirates, UAE, flag carrier, Emirates Airlines has announced the suspension of its flight operations to Nigeria, starting September 1, 2022.
The flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) disclosed this in a statement on Thursday morning, blaming its decision on the inability to repatriate its earnings in foreign exchange from Nigeria.
This is coming about three weeks after the airlines appealed to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to support the repatriation of its revenue said to be $85 million. Nigeria is facing a forex exchange crisis, and this has also affected the nation’s local currency — Naira — to depreciate against the dollar.
It would be recalled that the airline had reduced its flight operations to Nigeria last month as a means of managing it business in the country. In a letter transmitted to Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, the airline cut its 11 weekly frequencies into Lagos Airport to just seven after indicating it would do so.
Following complaints of trapped funds in Nigeria, Emirates Airlines has decided to suspend flights from Nigeria effective September 1.
The airline’s statement reads: “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 to our broader network of over 130 destinations.”
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