The Federal Government has approved the resumption of scheduled passenger flights between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This is contained in a statement by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu.
The NCAA said the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, approved reinstatement of Emirates Airlines winter schedule with immediate effect.
”This move is as a result of the review and acceptance of the Safety Decision 2021-02 Issue 24”as released by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
“All parties have been informed accordingly. Consequently, Air peace and Emirates Airlines are liberty to resume scheduled passenger flights between Nigeria and UAE.
“ This is under the terms and conditions of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the two countries. All parties must ensure strict compliance with the COVID-19 travel protocols of both countries.
“We wish to re-assure the traveling public that the Federal Government will continue to ensure the provision of air services while protecting national interests at all times,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Dec. 14, 2021, Emirates announced the suspension of flight operations between Nigeria and Dubai amid an intensifying slot allocation row between the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation and the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), just a week after the country’s largest airline announced its flight resumption to Abuja, Nigeria and Lagos, Nigeria.
Abdullah Al -Marri, the Chairman of GCAA Board and Minister of Economy, signed a letter from Dec. 10, 2021.
In the letter, the GCAA requested that the federal government restore Emirates’ winter schedule.
The letter expressed sadness that the federal government withdrew the winter schedule because the United Arab Emirates refused to allow Air Peace’s request for three flights a week slot at Al Sharjah, UAE’s Sharjah Airport.
The GCAA argued that Nigeria’s ministry of aviation to limit Emirates flights to once per week was unjustifiable while also accusing Nigeria’s Air Peace of abandoning Sharjah Airport noting that the Airport was currently operating at 140 percent slot capacity.
“We wish to kindly advise you that Sharjah Airport is currently operating at 140 percent slot capacity, but with goodwill and tremendous efforts on their side, this Airport was able to accommodate Air Peace with one of the three slots that this airline requested.
“The GCAA wishes to stress that the action being taken by the NCAA is not in line with the spirit of the agreed air services arrangements between our two nations.
“As we are both aware, the relations between our two brotherly countries are vintage, one hallmark being the recent visit of the President of Nigeria to the UAE, which certainly mirrored the status of the positive relations.
Finally, we suggest that Air Peace should consider flying their two flights to any UAE airport at which there are available slots.
NAN reports the chair of the GCAA attributed this action due to the non-availability of arrival slots at Sharjah International Airport.
On the other hand, Emirates Airline applied to Nigeria’s Aviation Ministry for approval of its winter flight schedule, with the requested schedule consisting of 21 weekly passenger flight frequencies to Nigeria, comprising of two daily flights to Lagos, Nigeria’s Murtala Mohammed Airport and one daily flight to Abuja, Nigeria’s Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.
The NCAA, explained that the reason why the government withdrew 20 flights from Emirates, leaving the Middle East carrier with one flight to Abuja, was because that was the same way the UAE treated Air Peace.
Air Peace had requested three flights a week but UAE authorities approved only one flight a week for the airline.
The Director-General, in line with the principle of reciprocity, mentioned that the Nigerian government had to do the same for Emirates. (NAN).
