Two years after suspending its operations in Nigeria, Emirates, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), resumed flights, landing at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos on Tuesday. The airline’s flight EK 783 arrived at 3:32 pm at the old terminal of the MMIA, marking the official return of Emirates to Nigeria.
Ahead of the flight, Emirates Senior First Officer, Moha Madugu, shared his excitement on X (formerly known as Twitter). He stated: “Today is a very special day for me as I have the honor of operating our inaugural return flight to Lagos, Nigeria. I’ll be proudly flying both the Emirates and Nigerian flags high today. Thank you, Emirates. Flight time will be slightly over eight hours today. #EkoOniBaje.”
Emirates had suspended its services to Nigeria in November 2022 due to challenges in repatriating $85 million in revenue trapped in the country. This was the second time the airline halted its operations in Nigeria, with the first suspension occurring in August 2022.
Commenting on this development, travel analyst Olumide Ohunayo highlighted the significant impact of Emirates’ absence. He explained that the airline’s suspension, which previously operated 21 weekly flights, affected around 85 to 90 percent of passengers who traveled to destinations beyond Dubai and the UAE.
This loss of service also contributed to the rise in international ticket prices, as the reduced competition allowed remaining airlines, such as Qatar Airways, and others from Egypt and Morocco, to increase their fares.
Ohunayo added that Emirates’ withdrawal negatively affected Nigeria’s aviation industry. The absence of such a major player disrupted the entire aviation ecosystem, leading to financial losses for various stakeholders, including travel agencies, taxi services, airport service providers, and even catering companies. The ripple effect was felt across the entire sector.
