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Minister unfolds new Nigeria-UAE BASA deal
- Nigerian carriers to operate to choice airports in UAE
- Emirates exits left void on lucrative route, high fares
The era where Nigerian carriers are denied choice destinations in line with the Bilateral Air Services Agreement may be over as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo unfolded details of the new air pact between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Minister who spoke to journalists Wednesday evening at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport after arriving from Dubai where the two nations inked a new air pact said the development to cement their relationships which became frosty two nearly two years ago when UAE suspended visa issuance to Nigerians and suspension of Emirates to Nigeria.
Keyamo disclosed that the first thing they did when they went to negotiate a new BASA was also to secure the Dubai route for Nigerian operators.
On the return of Emirates to Nigeria after nearly two years, he regretted that the relationship between both nations went bad leading to visa suspension and suspension of their flights.
He reiterated that it damaged so many Nigerians’ investments in Dubai and other interests just as he thanked President Bola Tinubu for personally intervening in restoring relations between both nations.
On the new BASA, he said, “It was one of the major things I stood my ground on. If you look at the new document, it says our airlines will go to any destination of their choice; so nobody is going to have to say, well, this is prime, this is not prime airport. Our agreement with them is they fly to any destination; we fly to any destination in the UAE. So it’s purely reciprocal in that respect. First of all, you know that we have various choices now. We have more competition on different international routes now”.
“That’s what it’s all about, is to ensure healthy competition and healthy competition leads to competitive prizes for the benefit of the Nigerian people. I’m sure you know, without mentioning an airline, when this was suspended, I’m sure you know that some other airlines ripped the benefits.”
He explained that when Emirates left Nigeria, many other carriers seized the opportunity to raise fares and frequencies because of the void left by the carrier because of the strategic importance of the UAE-based airline.
He equally stated that for Nigerian travellers, it is easy to access any part of the world by simply travelling to Dubai and connecting to that country.
The Minister also stated that as part of the BASA with UAE, Nigeria secured a code-sharing agreement, saying, “We told them that if they want to code-share, our airlines will have the right of first refusal”.
“We said our local airlines will have the right of first refusal because there will be a lot of code-sharing in this respect now. As I speak with you, they are speaking with many of our local operators. I went with some of them, I’m sure you saw some of them. Emirates is speaking with a lot of our local operators now, and that is also for the benefit of our local aviation industry.”
The Minister equally stated the effort the nation has made in restoring confidence to the aviation ecosystem with the Cape Town Convention Practice Direction for the aircraft leasing industry.
“I’m sure you followed the last two weeks, I have not spoken too much about it, but very soon I will expand. You know, expand more on it. About the confidence we are giving to the leasing world with the practice direction of the Cape Town Convention that we identified early in this administration.
He further noted that as a result of the signing of the CTC Practice Direction, the country’s aviation rating shot up tremendously and still rising, adding that in the next few weeks, the country would roll out the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA) that is expected to substantially increase the score rating.
“So all of that will combine to then empower our local operators to be able to service this route and also compete favourably with some of these big airlines that we are inviting into Nigeria which will bring more competition and less prices”.
Meanwhile, the Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, of Emirates Airlines, said, “This has been a long-awaited moment, and we are excited to resume operations in Lagos, helping reconnect travellers seamlessly to and through Dubai, coupled with a consistent, world-class experience onboard.”
He thanked the Nigerian authorities, including the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as well as the UAE authorities including His Excellency Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Abuja, Nigeria and His Excellency Dr Abdulla Almandoos, Consulate General of the United Arab Emirates in Lagos for their support.
He restated the commitment of his airline to making this route a success and looks forward to contributing to the Nigerian aviation industry’s growth and offering travellers and businesses more choice and connectivity to key destinations across our network.
With the resumption of operations to Lagos, Emirates provides frictionless connectivity to one of Africa’s major economic hubs, facilitating global trade and strengthening business ties, in line with the UAE and Nigeria’s strong bilateral trade relations.
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