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Abuja, Nigeria | Xinhua | The Dubai-based airline Emirates on Thursday said it planned to halt all flights to and from Nigeria, starting September 1, to cut down losses following its inability to repatriate about 85 million US dollars in revenue from the most populous African country.
In a statement, the airline said it has tried every avenue to address the ongoing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria and 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 from Sept. 1, to limit further losses and impact on our operational costs that continue to accumulate in the market,” the airline said.
In consonance with Nigeria’s bilateral air service agreements, foreign airlines are expected to issue their tickets to passengers in Naira, the local currency, while the central bank of Nigeria provides the equivalence in US dollars for repatriation to their home countries.
Emirates said the circumstances were beyond its control at this stage, pledging to work to help impacted customers make alternative travel arrangements wherever possible.
The airline said it could re-evaluate its decision, should there be any positive developments in the coming days regarding the blocked funds in Nigeria.
I think you made a quick decision of stopping the flights you would have waited for the authorities from Nigeria to bring their say on the table. It is currency flow to the international market between the US dollar and Nigerian Naira to find the solution. Let it be hard for the public. But is not a good idea to stop business work in some African countries.