Nigerian Government bars Emirates Airlines from operating in Nigeria

The Federal Government has barred Emirates Airlines from operating in Nigeria.

According to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, the ban will take effect from Monday, September 21, 2020.

The tweet read: “The PTF sub-committee met today with EU Ambassadors to discuss Lufthansa, Air France/KLM ban. The meeting progressed well. Emirates Airlines’ situation was reviewed and they are consequently included in the list of those not approved, with effect from Monday, September 21, 2020.”

The Federal Government had last month vowed to enforce the principle of reciprocity in granting permission to airlines to resume operations.

Before the resumption of international flights in the country, the Federal Government had announced that Air France, KLM, Etihad, RwandAir, Air Namibia, Royal Air Maroc, Lufthansa, TAAG Angola Airlines were not granted approval to commence flight operations.

Cabo Verde and South African airlines were also denied approval as international flights had yet to resume in their countries.

Middle East Airline, British Airways, Delta, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Air Peace, Virgin Atlantic, Asky Airlines, Africa World Airways, Air Cote D’ Ivoire, Kenya Airways, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines were all granted approval to resume operations in Nigeria.

EgyptAir, Virgin Atlantic, Turkish Airlines, Africa World Airways, Kenya Airways, and Middle East Airlines were announced as the airlines permitted to use Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, while British Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Africa World Airways, and Middle East Airlines were granted approval to use Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Sirika said the country would go ahead and implement the principle of reciprocity to all countries that had banned flights from Nigeria.