Entry visa cancellation: More twists emerge as Air Peace counters FG, Saudi claims

Amid the streams of sheathed allegations traded by all parties involved in the shock repatriation of 177 out of 264 passengers airlifted from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, the airline at the centre of the diplomatic imbroglio, Air Peace, has insisted that all aboard its carrier were duly cleared for the flight.

The position of Air Peace appears to add a new twist to the claims earlier adduced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Nigerian government over the former’s decision, last Monday, to deport the Nigerians airlifted from Lagos and Kano to the King Abdulaziz International Airport – Hajj Terminal Jeddah, in the Gulf nation via the indigenous carrier, Air Peace.

The Nigerian carrier had also earlier stated that its passengers went through the Advanced Passengers Prescreening System (APPS), which was also monitored by Saudi Arabian authorities before the flight left Nigeria.

The latest turn of events now also shreds the veracity of what many had previously believed as the offence committed by the Nigerian passengers necessitating their repatriation right from the airport in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, Monday, had cancelled the visas of all the 264 passengers airlifted by Air Peace on arrival to the country from Kano State.

The flight which departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, via the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Sunday night, arrived in Jeddah, Monday without issues, until the Gulf nation announced that all their entry visas were cancelled, ordering them to re-enter the Air Peace aircraft in which they arrived in from Nigeria.

Following the intervention of the Nigerian embassy, the Saudi authorities reportedly lowered the number of travelers who would be repatriated from 264 to 177.

Of this number, when the visas of the passengers were further checked, 87 of the passengers were granted entry permit by the Saudi authorities.

In explaining the shocking decision to deport the Nigerian passengers, the Saudi government, Monday, claimed that the affected passengers did not fulfil the entry conditions for the Kingdom.

A statement by the Embassy, Monday evening, further noted that the applicable rules and regulations of Saudi Arabia were not met as they submitted incorrect information in their application for the visa on arrival (VoA).

“The passengers whom were denied entry and subsequently deported to their initial destinations didn’t fulfil the entry conditions and requirements in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the kingdom.

“This procedure was not limited to Nigerian citizens only, but rather to citizens of other countries,” the Saudi government said.

The Nigerian government had, in its initial reaction Monday night, via a statement signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, stated that it was investigating the matter to see if any consular or aviation rule had been violated.

The minister, in the statement released by his spokesman, Alkasim Abdulkadir, said the Federal Government would ensure actions that would impact the welfare of Nigerian citizens were averted in the future.

The minister added that the development was worrisome because Nigeria just participated in the Saudi-Africa Summit, where bilateral discussions covering several sectors of the economy and mutually beneficial commitments were made.

However, the Nigerian government followed up on its earlier reaction, Tuesday, by claiming that 18 of the 177 passengers who were turned back by Saudi authorities on landing in Jeddah were outrightly banned from Saudi Arabia for various offences committed in the past, adding, however, that the reason for withdrawing the visa from the 159 others was yet unknown.

The latest revelation was contained in a signed statement on Tuesday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Francisca Omayuli.

“The attention of the Federal Government has been drawn to media reports on the cancellation of the visas and subsequent deportation of passengers airlifted from Nigeria on Sunday, 12th November, 2023 to Saudi Arabia.

“According to reports received from the Nigerian Consulate in Jeddah, Air Peace Flight No. P4-752 airlifted two hundred and sixty four (264) passengers from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos and the Aminu Kano International Airport and landed at the King Abdulaziz International Airport – Hajj Terminal Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday, 13th November, 2023.

“It was on arrival at the Hajj Terminal that the Saudi Immigration authorities informed the passengers that their visas had been cancelled. Consequently, one hundred and seventy seven (177) passengers were made to return on the same flight back to Nigeria. While eighty seven (87) passengers were cleared by immigration and allowed entry into Jeddah.

“The Saudi authorities are yet to give reasons for the cancellation of the visas, except for eighteen (18) of the passengers who were outrightly banned from Saudi Arabia for various offences committed in the past.

“Notwithstanding the fact that it is the prerogative of a sovereign nation to determine who is permitted entry into its territory, Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are traditional and strategic partners, who are willing to guard against a reoccurrence of this unfortunate incident. In this regard, investigation is ongoing in both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. The affected passengers are therefore, implored to keep calm, while the matter is being resolved,” the statement read, Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in a twist to the impasse, Wednesday, management of the Air Peace, disputed the claims adduced by the Nigerian and Saudi governments, as it insisted that the visas of all the 264 passengers that it conveyed to Saudi Arabia recently were verified, amid claims by the Saudis of incorrect data inputted in their travel documents.

Air Peace in a statement issued by its Chief Operating Officer, Oluwatoyin Olajide, Wednesday, maintained that it ‘is a scheduled operator between Nigeria and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the said flight was indeed a scheduled flight and not a chartered/UMAR/HAJJ or any special flight.’

According to the airline, it is not limited to operating hajj flights only, adding that the visas of its passengers were ‘verified using the visa confirmation platform provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia, which confirmed the validity of each passenger’s visa before passengers were allowed to check-in for the flight.’

“For the avoidance of doubt, Air Peace is a scheduled operator between Nigeria and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the said flight was indeed a scheduled flight and not a chartered/UMAR/HAJJ or any special flight.

“This scheduled flight means we are allowed to airlift all categories of passengers with different types of visas as long as their visas are valid and approved by the Saudi Arabian authorities. We are not limited to UMRAH or HAJJ visas alone on a scheduled flight.

“The visas of all passengers on the said flight to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia were checked and verified through the requisite procedures and were vetted to be valid before departure.

“The visas were verified using the visa confirmation platform provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia, which confirmed the validity of each passenger’s visa before passengers were allowed to check-in for the flight.”

The airline went further to state that all the visas of the 264 passengers were duly verified, confirmed, and accepted as authentic for the trip through the visa portal provided by the Saudi Arabia authorities, adding that “if not, no passengers would have been able to depart from Nigeria.

“This is just one of two steps required before a passenger is accepted on the flight to Saudi Arabia.”

The airline stated that the next step was the use of the Advanced Passenger Information System.

“We equally use this system to determine the admissibility or otherwise of each passenger on that flight.

“The APIS was live between Air Peace’s reservation system and the Saudi Arabia National Travel Security Centre Carrier Portal to transmit passenger details before departure, to the Saudi authorities to determine the admissibility or otherwise of the passengers.

“No form of cancellation from the Saudi authorities was received against these passengers despite the live transmission of their details,” Air Peace stated.

Commenting on the imbroglio, former CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, Group Captain John Ojikutu, described the Saudi authorities’ move to what he termed ‘aeropolitics and diplomacy.’

“The Saudi rulers’ actions are disturbing. There is aeropolitics there, as well as diplomacy. The Nigerian government must support Nigerian carriers and designate them as flag carriers so that other countries understand that they represent Nigeria.

“The government must come out and intervene. The government must be behind Air Peace now to ensure that it is not denied its rights as contained in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between the two countries.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must not keep quiet. Nigeria must not keep quiet. Ideally, the government is expected to stand behind any of the country’s airlines that it designates to fly overseas,” Ojikutu declared.

However, for another aviation operator, Abdulaziz Sabitu, the Managing Director of the Arafat Air Service Nigeria Limited, the misunderstanding could have arisen due to Air Peace unfamiliarity with the Jeddah route.

Sabitu, who is also a former zonal officer of the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), said that the incident was avoidable, noting it occurred due to the newness of the management of Air Peace on the Lagos-Kano-Jeddah route which the airline started about 15 days ago on October 31, 2023.

“I think the incidence occurred due to lack of familiarity of the management of Air Peace with the complexity associated with airlifting passengers into a highly regulated society like Saudi Arabia,” Sabitu said

“As an air service operator who is conversant with the route, I know there are various kinds of visas required by passengers traveling to Saudi Arabia. We have the Umrah visa, which is designed for passengers going to Umrah, that is the lesser hajj, and we have the Business Visa, designed for businessmen going to Saudi Arabia for business purposes.

“However, information shows that it was only the 87 out of the 264 passengers which the airline lifted to Jeddah that have with them returned ticket, the remaining 177 of the passengers that were returned were said to have only one-way ticket, a development that might have triggered a fear that they are not planning to come back to Nigeria

“This is the information that was made available to our Association on the incidence, by the Saudi Arabian authorities,” the Arafat Airlines MD stated.