Emirates Airlines said it will resume flights to Nigeria on October 1, 2024, with a daily service between Lagos and Dubai.
According to a statement issued on Thursday, the airline, which has its hub in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will conduct flight services with a Boeing 777-300ER.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, stated, “We are thrilled to resume our services to Nigeria. The Lagos-Dubai service has always been popular among Nigerian clients, and we intend to reconnect leisure and business travellers to Dubai and then to our network of over 140 destinations.
“We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard.”
Emirates Airlines had suspended its Dubai-Lagos flights in 2022 over its inability to repatriate trapped funds in Nigeria in the heat of the diplomatic row between the two countries.
Nigeria and the UAE have a long history of restriction of flights between both countries based on certain unresolved issues surrounding the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA). Visa restrictions later surfaced as diplomatic fireworks continue between Nigeria and the UAE, which is a top destination for Nigerian migrants and tourists.
In September 2023, President Bola Tinubu met with UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi, to smoothen the rough edges in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, recently said Emirates Airlines has indicated a definite date to resume flight operations to Nigerian airports.
However, the UAE has not officially announced its latest decision on visa ban imposed on Nigerian travellers.