Emirates Airlines on Friday evening announced the suspension of all its flights to Nigeria, in a move seen as a retaliation against the Nigerian government.
The action came after the Nigerian government on Thursday cut down to just one the number of frequencies approved for the airline, due to a diplomatic row between the two countries.
Announcing the suspension in late Friday, Emirates said in a statement that, “With the recently imposed directive limiting Emirates to operate one flight per week to Nigeria via Abuja, Emirates will be suspending its flights between Nigeria and Dubai from 13 December 2021, until the UAE and Nigerian authorities work on a solution to the ongoing issue.
“The last flights to operate on 12 December 2021are EK 783/784 to/from Lagos and EK 785/786 to/from Abuja
“Customers holding tickets with the final destinations Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted at the point of origin.
“Affected customers do not need to call us immediately for rebooking. Customers can simply hold on to their Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with their travel agent or booking office to make new travel plans.
“Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused. Emirates is committed to its operations in Nigeria, and we stand ready to reinstate services once restrictions are lifted by the Nigerian authorities, ensuring travellers have more choice and access to trade and tourism opportunities in Dubai, and beyond to our network of over 120 destinations.”
A day earlier, the Nigerian government had withdrawn the approval it granted to Emirates for the winter schedule. The government reduced the airline’s daily flights to Abuja to only one a week.
