FG signs new deal with Emirate after returning to Nigeria

• After a two-year break, Emirates Airlines will make a return visit to Nigeria to foster pricing competition
• The aviation minister said that this will result in competitive pricing that is healthier for Nigerians
• He also disclosed a new BASA agreement defining its relationship altogether, again making it healthier

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Emirates Airlines will return to Nigeria after a two-year hiatus, according to Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, who stated on Wednesday that this will result in competitive pricing that is healthier for Nigerians.

The aviation minister announced that local airlines are now able to reach any destination within the United Arab Emirates. Photo Credit: Emirates
Source: UGC

Arriving in Lagos on an Emirates flight from the United Arab Emirates, he declared that the airline had come back to stay and that the purpose of the negotiated bilateral air service agreement was to guarantee the route for regional operators.

“We signed a new BASA defining our relationship altogether, again making it healthier, more open, and for the benefit of the Nigerian people,” Keyamo said.“With this, we have more competition on different international routes now. That is what it’s all about to ensure healthy competition. A healthy competition leads to competitive pricing for the benefit of the Nigerian people.”

According to the minister in a ChannelsTV, local carriers can now travel to any location in the United Arab Emirates.

“It was especially damaging because we know that Nigerians have a lot of investments in the UAE. They have many interests and investments there, so eventually, it was not an adventure in self-glorification; it was a fight for the people of Nigeria, especially.

Due to its inability to repatriate its $85 million in revenue that was held in Nigeria, Emirates Airlines ceased flying to that nation in November 2022.

A letter from the airline stating that all the problems had been fixed and he was ready to start flying again was disclosed by Keyamo in April.

Before Emirates Airlines' flight operations to Nigeria resumed on September 27, both Nigeria and the UAE reached an agreement on reciprocal rights to address the issue.

Emirates bookings begins

Legit.ng reported that Nigerian travel agents say Emirates ticket bookings have slowed amid the company’s dollar charges and rigid visa rules by the UAE.

Emirates recently announced that it will resume flight operations in Nigeria on October 1 after two years of suspending services there.

The company’s fare inventories are priced in dollars but are competitive compared to other airlines.

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Source: Legit.ng