Emirates Airlines is resuming its flight operations to Nigeria, coinciding with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lifting the travel visa restriction for Nigerians.
Reuters reports that the decision is a direct outcome of a meeting that took place in Abu Dhabi between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates.
After attending the G20 summit in India, President Tinubu took charge of finding a solution to the ongoing disputes with Emirates Airlines and the visa problems faced by Nigerian travellers.
The UAE decided to halt the issuance of visas to Nigerians last year following the suspension of flights by Dubai's Emirates.
This unfortunate measure arose from the challenges faced in repatriating funds from Nigeria.
Etihad Airlines also decided to suspend their flights to Nigeria.
The Nigerian government will not face any immediate financial burden since the restoration of flight activities and the lifting of the visa ban are the outcomes of negotiations between the two leaders.
"As negotiated between the two Heads of State, this immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government," the Nigerian president's spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale, was quoted as saying.
Nigeria, being Africa's foremost oil producer, has faced various challenges due to a lack of dollars, impacting foreign airlines that sell tickets in the local currency, the Nigerian naira.
President Tinubu has implemented important reforms in Nigeria, such as the removal of the expensive petrol subsidy and the lifting of currency restrictions.
However, the official market is still lacking sufficient liquidity, which has led to a surge in the black-market exchange rate.
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