DIPLOMATIC ROW: Omicron: UAE Bans Airlines From Boarding Nigerians Into Dubai

The frosty diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over travel restrictions took a different turn on Monday as other carriers have been directed by the Middle East country not to board Nigerians whose final destination is Dubai.

The fresh hostility comes amid last week’s reduction of Emirates flight frequency into Nigeria by the Ministry of Aviation.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, cancelled the 21 frequencies earlier given to the airline and restricted it to a once-weekly flight into Abuja.

Industry watchers say matters got to a head as part of a retaliatory decision by the UAE to deny Nigerian flag carrier airline – Air Peace from operating to Sharjah near Dubai three times a week; a situation that infuriated the Nigerian government.

The Middle East country, it was learnt, may go a step further by tightening the noose by introducing stringent rules for visa applications for Nigerians willing to visit Dubai for medicals, tourism, and business.

Investigations reveal that other airlines including Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Air and other international carriers connecting transit flights from their headquarters/hubs into Dubai are refusing to board Nigerians.

Such carriers, a source hinted, have been directed not to airlift Nigerian passport holders to Dubai.

Following the development, hundreds of passengers are affected by this directive as Ethiopian Airlines on Monday afternoon offloaded their Nigerian passengers to Dubai.

A travel agent confirmed the development, saying passengers who had already booked their tickets were shell shocked when they told them that the UAE had instructed them not to pick passengers from Nigeria through their hubs.

“Our customer currently in the airport about to board Ethiopian Airlines said the airline said that flights have been banned from Nigeria to Dubai,” the agent said.

Aviation security consultant, Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu (Rtd) said it was shocking that Ethiopian and other airlines are not allowed to take passengers to Dubai paints a very dangerous diplomatic problem.

“Ethiopian Airlines does not fly or check passengers directly to Dubai, so why deny transiting passengers to Dubai except Nigerians are banned in Dubai. There are many things still hidden in the melee that we need to expose”.

Emirates on Friday suspended all flights to Nigeria from this week after the West African nation imposed new restrictions on its flights, the carrier said on Friday.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority announced earlier on Friday that it was restricting Emirates to just one weekly flight from 21 that had been initially approved.

The authority said this was in retaliation for the United Arab Emirates declining an application by local carrier Air Peace to fly to Sharjah International Airport three times a week.

UAE gave the airline one weekly slot, citing the lack of available arrival slots at the airport.

“With the recently imposed directive limiting Emirates to operate one flight per week to Nigeria via Abuja, Emirates will be suspending its flights between Nigeria and Dubai from 13 December 2021, until the UAE and Nigerian authorities work on a solution to the ongoing issue,” Emirates said in a statement.

In March, Nigeria suspended Emirates from flying into or out of its territory after the carrier-imposed additional COVID-19 test requirements on passengers from Nigeria but had lifted the restriction last month.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with a huge diaspora that frequently travels back home and some carriers like British Airways have daily flights to the country.