Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced that Emirates Airlines has specified a definite date to resume flight operations to Nigerian airports.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, the minister shared that he had met with the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Keyamo mentioned that the ambassador provided a correspondence from Emirates Airlines, confirming that a date has been set for the resumption of flights to Nigeria.
“Yesterday (On Tuesday), I paid a working visit to the Ambassador of the UAE to Nigeria, His Excellency, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi at the UAE Embassy in Abuja.
“He handed me a correspondence from the Emirates Airline indicating a definite date of their resumption of flights to Nigeria. That date will be formally announced by Emirates Airlines in a matter of days,” the minister stated.
This was not the first time that the aviation minister would make an announcement on Emirates Airlines’ flights resumption to Nigeria. In November, 2023, Keyamo had said tha airlines would soon announce the exact date of their resumption of flight operations to Nigeria.
Diplomatic Row
Nigeria and the UAE have a long history of restricting flights between the two countries due to unresolved issues related to the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA). Visa restrictions have also emerged amid ongoing diplomatic tensions, with the UAE being a major destination for Nigerian migrants and tourists.
As a result of this prolonged conflict, Emirates Airlines suspended flights to Nigeria in 2022, citing difficulties in repatriating trapped funds from the country.
In September 2023, President Bola Tinubu met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, leading to rumors that the UAE had lifted its visa ban on Nigerian travelers.
However, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga later clarified that the Arab country had not yet lifted the visa restrictions on Nigerians.