The Federal Government said on Thursday that there was no time frame for the resumption of Emirates and Etihad flights that had been halted due to a diplomatic dispute between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Nigerian counterpart, Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met on Monday in Abu Dhabi, and according to Ajuri Ngelale, Presidential spokesman, both leaders reached a historic agreement, which resulted in the immediate lifting of the visa ban imposed on Nigerian travelers.
He went on to say that Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines would restart flights into and out of Nigeria “without further delay.”
However, the UAE authorities remained mute on the lifting of the visa ban and the resumption of flights by its carriers, which piqued Nigerians’ interest.
The Middle Eastern country said in a statement that Nigeria and the UAE would work together to strengthen existing ties and explore prospects for future bilateral engagements.
However, Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, stated on Thursday during the Aviation Africa Summit in Abuja that the conditions of the agreements were being finalized.
He said:
“So, we are beginning to work out all the tiny details. I have met with Emirate before I left UAE, and we are working out the details. We cannot say the time frame. Kicking off an airline operation again on a route, does not mean you will go and grab one empty plane sitting in a place.
“There is no idle plane sitting anywhere, they have to reschedule their flights and restart their routes again. All kinds of permission will be taken from local authorities and of course, I made the point in speaking with them and I made it clear that they will have to give our airlines reciprocal rights under our Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs).
“That is the point I insisted on, and they did say that any spot we need, they will give us as much as we give them those spots within Nigeria.”