Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has made suggestions that Emirates Airlines, located in Dubai, would start flying again to Nigeria before June 2024.
In response to the airline’s decision to stop operating flights to Nigeria in October 2022, the Minister made this statement on Monday.
Speaking on Monday on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, Keyamo refuted the anchor’s assertion that the federal government’s October 2023 announcement regarding the commencement of flights between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was untrue, given that those flights have not yet begun.
He noted that, contrary to what the anchor and others believed, the news was not fake but premature, as the resumption of flights between Nigeria and the UAE, particularly the return of Emirates Airline flights to Nigeria, will happen soon, likely before June.
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He confirmed that all issues leading to Emirates Airlines’ suspension of operations in Nigeria have been resolved and that they are prepared to resume operations in Nigeria.
“It was not a fake news; it was a hasty news.
“It is almost happening.
“I just received a letter from Emirates thanking us for going through all the gamut and that they are ready to come back.
“They will announce the date.
“It may be before June.
It will be definitely before the summer,” Keyamo clarified.
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The Aviation Minister clarified that though the federal government had earlier announced the resumption of flights between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the airline could resume operations in Nigeria before June 2024, with the delay attributed to last-minute arrangements.
Speaking further on the repatriation of trapped funds, which led to the suspension of some foreign airlines’ operations in Nigeria, Keyamo clarified that all trapped funds of airlines under the purview of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have been cleared.
He further stated that the remaining trapped funds of airlines in Nigeria are held in commercial banks in the country. According to him, these commercial banks lack the capacity to obtain the necessary foreign exchange and transfer the funds to the airlines.
