Emirates Airlines will return to the Abuja route on November 1, 2017 after vacating it for one year. The Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, disclosed this via his Twitter handle @hadisirika.
He tweeted that he has “Concluded with Emirates return to Abuja November 1st. Looking at the second leg to Lagos via Kano later on. Please bear with us.” As a part of the deal, our correspondent learned from those familiar with the matter that Emirates has also been given the approval to operate two daily flights to Abuja.
Also, the Lagos via Kano to Dubai and other destinations may also follow before the year ends said our source under condition of anonymity.
With the announced return of Emirates to Abuja, travelers can book their flights to Dubai and other Emirates destinations from Abuja. The discussion for Emirates’ return to Abuja and Kano between the Federal Government and Emirates’ management took over six months to conclude.
Emirates, one of the biggest airlines at the time was joined by Kenya airlines in boycotting the Abuja route over similar concerns.
The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja was closed down in March this year to allow works to be undertaken on a runway. The six-week period saw traffic rerouted to the northern city of Kaduna from where passengers were given free train ride to Abuja.
The Abuja airport – Nigeria’s main international airport – handles thousands of domestic flights, it is the country’s second busiest airport aside Lagos. The repair works which cost some $18m was executed by the construction firm, Julius Berger.
