The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has expressed optimism that the return of Emirates, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier, to Nigeria after a two-year hiatus will open more international destinations to local airlines.
The Minister expressed the optimism on Wednesday in Lagos shortly after arriving aboard an Emirates aircraft from UAE.
He assured that the airline had returned to stay this time.
Keyamo also said the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) discussed was to secure the route for local operators.
He said local carriers now have the opportunity to fly into any destination in the UAE.
“With this, we have more competition on different international routes now. That is what it’s all about, to ensure a healthy competition,” Keyamo said.
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“A healthy competition leads to competitive pricing for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
“But you also know that why we fought for this, is that Dubai in particular, is a major hub of the world, it links virtually every country.
“For our airlines too, I can tell you that we also secured some kind of code sharing agreement. We told them that if you want to code share, our airlines will have the right of first refusal.”
Keyamo also applauded the support of President Bola Tinubu in the agreement and return of the airline, saying that the relationship between the two countries have been restored.
“The relationship went downhill with visa suspension and suspension of their flights for Nigerians, it was especially damaging, because we know that Nigerians have a lot of investments in the UAE,” the minister said.
“They have a lot of interest and investments there so, eventually it was not an adventure in self-glorification, it was actually a fight for the people of Nigeria especially.
“We signed a new BASA defining our relationship altogether, again making it more healthy, more open and for the benefits especially of the Nigerian people.”
By: Babajide Okeowo
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