Posted by Sade Williams
Emirates airline said it will from September 1, 2022, suspend all flights into Nigeria over its inability to repatriate $85 million trapped in Nigeria.
A statement from Emirates Airlines said the decision to do this was to avoid continuous losses being incurred as a result of the situation.
“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 1 September 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 travellers, providing access to trade and tourism opportunities to Dubai, and to our broader network of over 130 destinations.”, the airline said.
It would be recalled that in June this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) accused Nigeria of withholding $450 million in revenue that international carriers operating in the country have earned.
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamal Al Awadhi, described talks with Nigerian officials to release the funds as a “hectic ride”
“We keep chipping away and hoping that it clicks that this is going to going to damage the country down the road,” he told reporters in Doha on the eve of IATA’s annual meeting of airline chiefs there this week.
Al Awadhi, a former Chief Executive of Kuwait Airways, said Nigerian officials had blamed the foreign currency shortage for not repatriating the airline’s revenue.
