When the Saudi Arabian authorities canceled the visas of all 264 passengers who had been airlifted to Jeddah from Lagos and Kano on Sunday, there was astonishment and terror.
The airline was ordered by the authorities to take them back to Nigeria.
The aircraft departed on Sunday night from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, traveled via Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, and touched down at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
But to the consternation of the airline staff, the Saudi Arabian authorities announced that all the passengers’ visas had been cancelled.
This was despite the fact that the passengers went through the Advanced Passengers Information System (APIS) during the check-in formalities in Nigeria which was also monitored by the Saudi authorities.
This newspaper reports that Air Peace penultimate week launched a direct flight to Jeddah which has been recording high load factor.
A source who confirmed the development said, “The screening of passengers from the MMIA and Kano Airport was thorough and there was no issue with the visas. These were people who were duly issued the visa and they passed through the advanced passenger information system which is accessible to both authorities in Lagos and Jeddah. We are surprised because this cancellation was announced when the flight already landed.
“We are suspecting this is a strategy to frustrate the Nigerian carrier out of the route, some people are definitely not happy with the option Air Peace is providing, the direct flight to Jeddah as against using another foreign airline which attracts higher fares.”
It was learnt that, it was when the Nigerian embassy waded in that Saudi authorities reduced the number of passengers that would be returned to 177 from 264.
As of the time of filing this report, the Airline was on its way to Nigeria with the 177 passengers that were denied entry; majority of them going to perform lesser Hajj (Umrah).
This newspaper reports that prior to the commencement of direct flight by Air Peace, Saudia, a Saudi Arabian flag carrier, has been operating directly from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia
