UAE rift settled, as Nigeria restores Emirates Airlines’ 21 slots
Nigeria has reciprocated the gesture by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in finally granting request for increased slots to Nigerian carrier, Air Peace into the Gulf nation by restoring the earlier withdrawn daily flight schedule of the Emirates Airlines.
UAE had turned down the request by Air Peace, which was utilizing the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) of Nigeria, for three slots into the country’s Sharjah destination, a move which angered Nigerian authorities into withdrawing the special permission to Emirates Airlines of 21 slots of twice-daily 14 frequencies into Lagos, and a further once-daily 7 frequencies into Abuja permission.
However, in a dramatic twist, UAE approved four extra slots, aside the three earlier requested by Air Peace, making it once-daily 7 frequencies, even as the country also permitted the Nigerian carrier entry into the Dubai airport destination instead of the Sharjah planned.
Air Peace had originally requested for three slots into Sharjah, but was turned by the UAE aviation authorities citing lack of space at the airport.
Confirming the restoration of Emirates daily flight operations into Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said the decision to restore the special grant to the Gulf nation’s national carrier followed UAE’s gesture of approving Air Peace request for more slots to operate flights into its country.
A letter signed by the Director General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu and addressed to Emirates Airlines Country Manager, states: ‘Following the further consultations with various stakeholders and the letter from Dubai CAA with reference number DCAA/ASA/N-3/016 dated 17th December 2021 offering Air Peace Airlines daily slots to Dubai airports, I wish to inform you the reinstatement of the ministerial approval of Emirates Airlines winter schedule.’
Nuhu said that the approval is predicated on compliance with the Dubai Travel Protocol as released by Dubai airports on Friday 26th November 2021 as it affects travellers travelling from Nigeria to UAE.
The NCAA withdrew the approval granted Emirates airline by the Ministry of Aviation following the refusal of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the UAE to grant equal rights to Air Peace to fly to Dubai via Sharjah.
The withdrawal of approval took effect on December 12 as Emirates responded by also suspending its operations into Nigeria.
However, on December 13, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority wrote a letter to Air Peace offering it seven slots to operate from Dubai airport (DBX).
In the letter which was signed by the Director General of DCAA, Mohammed Ahil and addressed to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, with reference number DCAA/ASA/N-3/014, the regulator said it received information from DBX that there are now available slots at terminal one which the airline can operate with.
