Middle East mega carrier, Emirates Airlines, has said it is ready to resume operations to Nigeria. The airline states that it is waiting for a directive to that effect given by the Federal Government.
The Regional Manager, West Africa, Afzal Parambil, said once the approval was given the airline was ready to serve the Nigerian market.
According to reports, the Federal Government had directed the reopening of five airports in Nigeria with effect from next week. Major authorities, especially the airlines, are already crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s ahead of flights resumption.
However, the flights resumption, would first commence with domestic operations. International flights are set to resume at a yet to be announced date.
Emirates, one of the major airlines flying to Nigeria, had yesterday (June 15) commenced passenger flights to 29 cities across its network. This is after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government lifted restrictions on transit passenger services.
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The cities are those countries where restrictions have been lifted. The airline said with travel restrictions remaining in place in most countries, customers should check entry and exit requirements before their journeys.
Some of the cities where flights resumed yesterday include Bahrain, Manchester, Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, New York JFK, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Hong Kong, Perth and Brisbane.
Emirates had earlier on June 8, started flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. This was for travellers from Pakistan who wished to connect onwards to other Emirates destinations.
Emirates said it would continue to work with UAE authorities to take a measured and phased approach to flights resumption. It further said it is also committed to rebuilding connections between Dubai and the world.
