Nigeria has banned Emirates from flying to Lagos and will only allow the Dubai-based carrier to fly to Abuja once a week. This is protectionist retaliation against the U.A.E. because Nigeria’s own Air Peace is not being granted its requested slots at Sharjah airport.
Air Peace has been given a single weekly frequency to Sharjah, so Emirates gets a single weekly frequency to Abuja. In the meantime Nigerians have their flight options limited. The Nigerian government chooses a single business over anyone in their country who might wish to travel.
According to the Director General of Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority,
The Nigerian Government was gracious to grant Emirates Airlines 21 frequencies it requested for. The airline wants to operate fourteen weekly flights to Lagos and another seven weekly to Abuja airports.
However, Air Peace only requested for three weekly flights to Sharjah, not even Dubai airport, but the GCAA refused the airline. It only approved one weekly frequency to the airline. The only excuse they gave was that they don’t have enough slots. Where is the justice in this? That is the capital flight out of Nigeria. Nigeria should protect its own.
Meanwhile Emirates had only just resumed operations to Nigeria on December 5, after a 10 month hiaturs. Flights will be suspended once again starting December 12. Air Peace, by the way, has an ex-Emirates 777 in its fleet.
Nigeria of course has a very strange airline industry.
Food fight!
If you send me a 777 full of $1 bills, I will load it with gold and send it back
Having flown inside Nigeria – let’s just say it’s wild
They did the same thing to Virgin Atlantic/British Airways. They were going to limit them because LHR didn’t have any slots for Arik Airways of Nigeria. It worked, Nigeria did get the extra daily slot at LHR that they wanted.
To put things in perspective, they operate 73 flights to the UK weekly, and were requesting 21 weekly flights to Nigeria. It’s a big lose to them, my friend. And that’s how thing will go henceforth.
Nigerians have dozens of alternatives for trade and holidays, so this write up is just silly.
Meanwhile, Qatar Air is starting FOUR destinations within Nigeria. Eat that.
Stuck between trying to understand this reports as a journalist statement as against a mere statement coming from a biased opinion – which is what the so called report has written all over it. It’s not about a single ownership business it’s about the reciprocity. If you don’t allow mine to fly in your zone I won’t allow yours to fly in my zone. It doesn’t matter who owns the airline.
Yu have obviously taken sides with the dubai Govt. No wonder.
We Nigerians are ready to suffer inconvenience until the UAE reciprocated our permits.
Till then, let Emirates looses its money from our country.
White people are always selfish and only think of how to use Africans, not how to encourage African businesses.
Good action on the side of Nigerian govt. more of such actions are needed in order to send strong message to other nations that wants to take us for granted. Kudos to aviation Czar
Moving forward, Nigerian govt. should demand equal slot from Emirate or continue with the flight ban indefinitely. We are willing as a people to do away with the comfort of emirate flight for equity, justice and respect to prevail.
@Iyen – No, I’ve taken sides with the Nigerian people whose government is cutting them off further from the world
@ Gary swallow the bitter pill, you are not in any way sympathetic with the Nigerian people, you want to encourage the government to overlook the needs of private industries which is obviously owned by the Nigerian people. I don’t think they solicited for your negative sympathy and please do well to know more about the situation at hand before you write an opinion piece.
And gray who told you we’re cut off from the world ?UAE isn’t d world u know,Nigerians are the most widely travelled people in the world and we do have alternatives pls
Why not bar Emirates on Abuja route and leave Lagos route to them?
So, the huge patronage from the Southern Nigeria should go to the Northern Nigeria to board flight to UAE?
Nigerian government is useless and unprofessional doing TIt for Tat in modern world without any critical rationale, ordinary Nigerian struggle to get visa to go abroad talk less of have a decent holiday abroad
Ordinary safe roads is impossible for shameless Nigerian government to build, not to talk of electricity, education, safety. no infrastructure. basically nothing is working in Nigeria and this same shameless government think they can compete anywhere in the world. Continue with your stupid tit for tat, instead of Nigerian government to humble its self, look after Nigerian people, after all charity begins at home until them, be prepared to eat whatever you are served across the world.
Nigerian should stop deceiving themselves Nigeria is a poor country and doesn’t have anything to offer
With the large amount of wealthy princess in Nigeria and demand for premium cabin travel this move will be a large blow for emirates profits
@kemkem. Never say that to your country. Nigeria has so much to offer… You didn’t just know it.
Stop depending or blaming the govt. Lookout for yourself dearie.
@Nigeria aviation. This is a nice blow… Do me I do you too… No cheating and no query
Lyen says Emirates are white people.
@Woke says an Arab hotel manager was criticized because he was a POC.
?????