Summary
- Nigeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace, has received approval from the UAE government to resume flights to Dubai International Airport (DXB) after a year-long suspension, according to the aviation minister.
- Nigeria hopes that Emirates will resume flights soon to re-establish flight connections between the two countries.
- Air Peace may have to reapply for its slots at DXB, but another option is resuming flights to Sharjah Airport (SHJ) if the airline wants to return to the UAE immediately.
Following a visit to the United Arab Emirates for the 2023 Dubai Air Show, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, stated that the country’s leading carrier, Air Peace, has received approval from the UAE government to resume flights to Dubai International Airport (DXB). He also disclosed that Emirates is ready to resume services in Nigeria, but there has not been any official communication from the airline.
Flying to Dubai
Nigeria has not had direct flight connections with the UAE since last year after both Emirates and Air Peace suspended their services. The Nigerian government aims to restore services between the two nations in line with their Bilateral Air Services Agreement. According to Keyamo, Air Peace has been approved to “fly directly into and out of the prime airport in Dubai.”
Photo: Dubai Airports
According to Flightradar24, Air Peace operated its last flight from Lagos (LOS) to Dubai (DXB) on November 20 with the Boeing 777. The route was launched in March 2022, about four months after the carrier had received slots at DXB after a lengthy process. At the time of writing, Air Peace had not announced any plans to return to the UAE.
The carrier still has traffic rights to return to Dubai but will have to apply for its slots again. According to African aviation expert and independent aviation consultant Sean Mendis, if following the slot allocation process, the airline has to wait until next year as the deadline for the Northern Summer 2024 season has already passed. Another option would be resuming flights to Sharjah Airport (SHJ) if it is to return to the UAE anytime soon.
Emirates returning to Nigeria: Update
Minister Keyamo also stated that Emirates would resume flights to Nigeria following successful discussions with the airline’s officials. This follows a meeting between the Nigerian and UAE heads of state in September, and according to Keyamo, Emirates is ready to return to the West African nation, and flight schedules will be announced soon. He said on X (formerly Twitter),
“On the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow in Dubai last week, I met with the top echelon of Emirates Airlines, and we continued very warm and fruitful discussions towards the resumption of flights from Dubai to Nigeria, an effort which was championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “
“We are presently working on the small details, and the airline will soon announce the exact date of their resumption of the flights.”
However, Emirates has not yet indicated its intention to relaunch its service to Nigeria, which has been suspended for over a year. We contacted the airline to find out more, but it had not been available at the time of publishing.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
The Dubai-based carrier suspended flights to Lagos (LOS) and Abuja (ABV) in November 2022 after relations between the two countries turned sour. One of the primary reasons was the airline’s failure to repatriate about $85 million trapped with Nigeria’s central bank. This is part of over $700 million of airline revenue that remains blocked in the country.
Two months ago, a spokesperson from the President’s office indicated that Emirates would resume its flight schedules immediately while the UAE lifts its visa ban on Nigerian citizens. About a month later, UAE officials denied these claims, stating that “there are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far.” As of November 2023, Emirates has not indicated any changes to the UAE-Nigeria flights status.
Air Peace’s international destinations
Air Peace flies to ten countries, including one in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia. The route, which was opened on October 31, connects Lagos Murtala Muhammed (LOS) and Jeddah King Abdulaziz (JED) via Kano Mallam Aminu International Airport (KAN). It is operated three times a week with the Boeing 777.
Photo: Air Peace
The Lagos-based private carrier also hopes to launch flights between Nigeria and the United Kingdom soon. Last month, it received its Foreign Carrier Operator Permit from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after a successful audit. It must also apply for slots at Heathrow (LHR) – the only UK airport the airline’s CEO wants to fly to. This will not be as simple as he wishes, as Heathrow slots are already in high demand.
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Source: Flightradar24