Emirates Airlines on Thursday declared the suspension of its flight operations in Nigeria from September 1, 2022. It stated that the suspension became necessary following its inability to repatriate its funds from Nigeria. In a statement by Emirates, it disclosed that it had tried every avenue to address its ongoing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria and has made considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities for their urgent intervention to help find a viable solution and regrettably there had been no progress.
"Therefore, Emirates has taken the difficult decision of suspending all flights to and from Nigeria, effective 1 September 2022, to limit further losses and impact on our operational costs that continue to accumulate in the market.
"We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our customers, however, the circumstances are beyond at this stage. We will be working to help impacted customers make alternative travel arrangements wherever possible," the airline disclosed.
The airline, however, noted that should there be any positive developments in the coming days regarding Emirates' blocked funds in Nigeria, it would of course, re-evaluate its decision.
"We remain keen to serve Nigeria, and our operations provide much-needed connectivity for Nigerian travelers, providing access to trade and tourism opportunities to Dubai, and to our broader network of over 130 destinations," the global carrier stated.
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