Emirates Airline resumed its flight operations between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an Emirates flight EK 783 landed at Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos on Tuesday afternoon, marking the end of nearly two years of suspended services.
The flight, which traveled for over eight hours, arrived around 4:00 p.m. to much anticipation from travelers and stakeholders.
Mohammed Madugu, Senior First Officer at Emirates Airline, shared the news of the flight’s arrival on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, signaling a significant moment in the resumption of travel between the two nations. The suspension had originally been due to diplomatic and operational issues, and this resumption reflects a positive development in relations between Nigeria and the UAE.
He wrote: “A very special day for me today, I have the honour of operating our inaugural return flight to Lagos, Nigeria, Lagos Airport.”
“Today I’ll be flying both the Emirates and Nigerian flags very high! Thank you, Emirates.”
“A flight time of slightly over 8 hours today,” he wrote.
Emirates Airlines suspended flight operations to Nigeria in November 2022 over its inability to repatriate its $85 million revenue trapped in the country.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on April 8 said he had received a letter from the airline confirming its readiness to resume flights to Nigeria.
Nigeria and the UAE on September 27 agreed on reciprocal rights ahead of the resumption of Emirates Airlines’ flight operations to Nigeria.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Keyamo said the discussions reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a balanced and forward-looking partnership with the UAE.
“We are pleased to have secured reciprocal operational rights for Nigerian airlines, which will not only deepen our bilateral ties but also strengthen the global competitiveness of Nigeria’s aviation industry,” he said.
