Emirates Airline Resumes Operation In Nigeria After Two-Year Suspension

Dubai-based Emirates airline has announced that it will resume flight operations to Nigeria from October 1, marking the end of a suspension that lasted nearly two years.

The airline confirmed the development on Thursday, restoring a route that was halted in 2022 following a diplomatic and financial row between both countries.

Emirates stopped flying to Nigeria in October 2022 after being unable to repatriate hundreds of millions of dollars trapped in the country due to foreign exchange scarcity. Shortly after, the United Arab Emirates imposed a visa ban on Nigerians, deepening the diplomatic tensions.

The airline said the situation made operations unsustainable, prompting a full withdrawal of passenger and cargo flights.

Announcing the resumption, the airline’s deputy president and chief commercial officer, Adnan Kazim, expressed appreciation to Nigeria for facilitating the restoration of flights.

“We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route, and we look forward to welcoming passengers back on board,” Kazim said in a statement.

Emirates noted that the Lagos-Dubai service had historically been one of its strongest African routes, with high demand from Nigerian travellers connecting to Dubai and more than 140 global destinations.

The return of Emirates comes on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s meeting with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi last September.

Both leaders discussed the visa restrictions placed on Nigerian travellers, trapped airline funds, and new UAE investment commitments in Nigeria.

Although visa issuance has not fully resumed, the reopening of Emirates flights signals a major thawing of relations between the two nations.

Emirates confirmed that the new schedule will include both passenger and cargo operations, restoring a key trade and travel corridor heavily relied upon by Nigerian business owners, tourists, and international travellers.

Before the suspension, the Lagos–Dubai flight was one of Emirates’ most profitable African routes.