Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, declared on Monday that Emirates Airline would be starting up flights to Nigeria once again.
The Minister declared that all requirements had been met and that he possessed the airline’s letter indicating their plan to start operating again to Nigeria.
Keyamo revealed the information in an Arise Television interview.
He claims that President Bola Tinubu’s diplomatic efforts during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following a breakdown in communication between Nigeria and the nation, were the direct cause of the airline’s return.
Keyamo continued, saying that although the events from the previous visit and resolution were presented in a “hurried” way, they were real.
“The resumption of Emirates flights is almost happening,” he declared. Emirates sent me a letter recently. Right now, the letter is on my phone. They are prepared to return having experienced everything. Since they need to get an aircraft for a route in order to relaunch it, they will make the date public.
For the first time, I am telling Nigerians that I have received a letter from Emirates. I have the letter. I’ve sent you a tangible copy of my gratitude for all of our hard work. Here, Mr. President served as the showman. It was he who advocated for it. He went there and used his diplomatic shuffle to settle all the problems, which made my job easier.
That’s the reason I claimed the most recent announcement was hurried rather than phony.
“They’ll make the next flight date public. A letter has been obtained attesting to the fact that all the issues have been addressed and we are ready to resume our visits. Maybe before June.
In addition to Emirates ceasing operations to Nigeria, the UAE Immigration Department also stopped accepting applications for visas from Nigeria and other nations in 2022.