Emirates has suspended its Nigeria flights indefinitely. It had originally ceased flying there on September 1 over ongoing challenges repatriating US$85m (R1,44bn) in earnings from Nigeria to the United Arab Emirates, and then reinstated the flights 10 days later.
“Emirates has continued to actively seek a solution for the repatriation of the remainder of its blocked funds in Nigeria. We were encouraged by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s efforts of reviewing our request, and considered that this critical issue would be swiftly resolved with the subsequent clearance of our remaining funds,” a spokesperson told Khaleej Times.
However, Emirates has yet to receive an allocation of the blocked funds to be repatriated. Without this repatriation or assurance of future repatriation of funds, the backlog will continue to grow, and the airline will not be able to meet its operational costs or maintain the commercial viability of operations in Nigeria.
Emirates has made its demands clear, including a plan for the progressive release of at least 80% of blocked funds by the end of last month.
“We hope to reach a mutual resolution with the Nigerian government around the repatriation of blocked funds to enable the resumption of operations and connectivity for travellers and businesses,” said the spokesperson.
