Emirates Airlines has announced that it will suspend all flights to and from Nigeria, from September 1st, 2022.
The Airline said the action was to limit further losses and impact on its operational costs that continue to accumulate in the market.
Emirates Airlines had earlier said it was unable to repatriate its trapped ticket sales fund in Nigeria back to its home country in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Emirate Airlines is among over 20 foreign airlines whose $600 million ticket sales have been blocked in Nigeria since the beginning of the year.
On Thursday, the Airline said that it would suspend flights from Nigeria effective September 1, 2022.
Read full statement…
“Emirates suspends all flights from Nigeria effective 1st September
“Emirates has tried every avenue to address our ongoing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria, and we have made considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities for their urgent intervention to help find a viable solution.
Regrettably there has been no progress. Therefore, Emirates has taken the difficult decision to suspend all flights to and from Nigeria, effective 1 September 2022, to limit further losses and impact on our operational costs that continue to accumulate in the market.
We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our customers, however the circumstances are beyond our control at this stage. We will be working to help impacted customers make alternative travel arrangements wherever possible.
Should there be any positive developments in the coming days regarding Emirates’ blocked funds in Nigeria, we will of course re-evaluate our decision. We remain keen to serve Nigeria, and our operations provide much needed connectivity for Nigerian travellers, providing access to trade and tourism opportunities to Dubai, and to our broader network of over 130 destinations.”
