There are hints that Emirates Airlines’ decision to suspend all flights into and out of Nigeria may have been motivated by its inability to return its stuck ticket sales fund to its own United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On Thursday morning, the airline announced that it would stop operating flights from Nigeria as of September 1, 2022.
Over 20 foreign airlines worth at least $600 million have had their flights to Nigeria barred since the year’s began.
About two weeks ago, Emirates stated that it had $85 million in Nigeria out of these monies.
On Monday, the airline reduced from 11 to just 7 weekly flights into Lagos Airport.
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 take the decision of 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 travellers, providing access to trade and tourism opportunities to Dubai and to our broader network of over 130 destinations.”