- Experts Demand Review Of Past Agreements With UAE On Aviation
As the aviation row between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria continues to get much international attention, the latter has reportedly granted seven flight slots to Air Peace, a Nigerian air carrier.
It was gathered that the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), in a letter dated December 13th 2021 and addressed to Air Peace granted the Nigerian carrier seven flight slots to operate in the country.
This follows backlash against a directive reportedly issued by UAE authorities, Monday, to all international air carriers to stop airlifting Nigerian travellers to the Arab nation.
The Nigerian carrier, in the letter was also granted the permission to fly directly to the Dubai International Airport.
Before now, the UAE only conceded three flight slots to Air Peace, with the Nigerian carrier restricted to only operate in Sharjah Airport the country’s second busiest airport.
Sources in the aviation industry had said the Federal Government had at different times expressed its displeasure at the treatment of Air Peace, given the fact that the Emirates Airline, a UAE carrier was granted 21 flight slots and licence to operate in the Abuja and Lagos international airports.
This, according to sources was the reason the Federal Government, last week cut down the Emirates Airline’s daily flights to Abuja to just once a week.
However, the UAE, in the letter has rescinded on its earlier stance, granting Air Peace seven flight slots.
Though sources claimed the GCAA failed to copy the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the correspondence, however, the Federal Government was said to have received the letter.
“As at 7pm, the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE has written to Air Peace to come and take its slots. Unlike before, the UAE conceded seven slots to the Nigerian carrier.
“In the letter, the UAE said Air Peace can fly directly to Dubai and not Sharjah Airport. This is the latest on the development.
“Even though they did not follow the right diplomatic channel by writing the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs which will in turn inform the Aviation Minister, this is still a positive development,” the source was quoted to have said.
But many aviation stakeholders and diplomats have asked the Nigerian government to demand that the country be given equal number of flight slots (21) that the Nigeria approved for the UAE in previous agreement.
A former Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S, Ambassador Joe Keshi on Tuesday urged Nigeria to exploit the opportunity that the ongoing row presents to rewrite past wrongs in earlier aviation agreements signed with the Arab nation and other countries.
“We still have cards that we can play and that card is that they are making more in terms of financial gains than us. But at the same time, we also have to be conscious of the fact that a number of Nigerians go to Dubai apart from holidays and so on, to do business, some have their business offices there.
“All these must be taken into consideration. So if they want to give us one flight, let us give them also one flight, if they want Air Peace to go to another airport, we should give them Maiduguri airport. It’s as simple as that simple, when you do this to them, they will come again and make a point they will come to their senses.” Keshi said while speaking on Arise TV, Tuesday.
He continued: “At the end of the day, for now, they are losing more than we are losing. And of course, we’re losing some revenue too. But this is a worthy time that we must take this logical conclusion, and the logical conclusion is that there’s an agreement signed some years ago. We need to go back to that agreement. If it says Nigeria is entitled to 10, 15, 20, 100 flights, UAE is entitled to the same thing. Let everybody get what they deserve or what the agreement says. There’ll be peace.”
