Less than 48 hours after confirming that they will resume flights operation on June 23, 2021, Emirates airline has announced that the planned resumption has been suspended until further notice.
In response to tweets, Emirates cited travel restriction and relevant permits from the government as the reason for the fight suspension.
Hi, we plan to resume flights from Nigeria soon. We’re waiting for the exact travel protocols and relevant permits from the Government authorities before we can make flights available. We’ll update our website once we know more.
Emirates said they are yet to get an official resumption date from the authorities. Emirates advised passengers to stop flight booking until when all the issues are resolved.
These flights are subject to cancellation. We’re yet to get an official resume date. For now, our flights to & from Nigeria remain suspended until further notice.
In an official statement published by Emirates on their website, the airline said flights were suspended due to government directives.
They also said that passengers that have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter the United Arab Emirates.
In line with government directives, passenger flights to and from Nigeria (Lagos and Abuja) are suspended with effect from 21 June 2021 until further notice.
Customers travelling to and from Lagos and Abuja will not be accepted for travel. Customers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE
We regret the inconvenience caused, and affected customers should contact their booking agent or Emirates call centre for rebooking. Emirates remains committed to Nigeria, and we look forward to resuming passenger services when conditions allow.
Booked Flight Tickets
Passengers that have booked their flight have the option to keep the ticket for future use or rebook the ticket for another date.
Our View
I think Emirates will be back very soon. From the airline responses, it looks like the airline fixed the date without consulting the Nigerian government authorities. Recall that, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authorities, NCAA suspended emirates from coming to Nigeria. Maybe they need to do some paperwork.