The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday decided to concede seven slots to Air Peace, in what appears to be a move to avert a diplomatic row with Nigeria.
According to The Nation, the UAE also granted the Nigerian carrier the permit to fly directly to Dubai instead of Sharjah Airport, a source said.
But the government said it was unaware of alleged stoppage of Nigerians by the UAE from entering any part of the Emirates through other carriers.
Sources told The Nation that the General Civil Aviation Authority sent a December 13, 2021, letter to Air Peace.
Although the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not copied in breach of protocol, the Federal Government was said to have received the letter.
“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.”
Asked if the UAE has stopped other carriers from conveying Nigerians to Dubai, the source said, “This is in the realm of rumours. I don’t think it is true. No official communication banning Nigerians from entering Dubai through other carriers. If anybody has such a directive, let him or her produce it. It will be in gross violation of international civil aviation regulations.
“The Federal Government got no such information at the diplomatic or official level. I think with the latest concessions, the UAE was trying to avoid a diplomatic row with Nigeria. We also do not want any row with the UAE.”
The Nigerian government ordered that the UAE-operated airlines come in only once a week to reciprocate the country’s one slot given to Nigerian airline, Air Peace, saying the UAE violated bilateral air agreement.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had stated this in an audio message obtained by SaharaReporters, where he stated that the UAE authorities wrote an “insulting letter” to Nigeria offering incoherent explanations as to why Air Peace was denied enough frequencies in the UAE.
Sirika had said, “So this is very insulting and this is not acceptable by international treaties, conventions and agreements. And therefore I directed that they also be given one frequency and into Abuja and beginning from December 12. From December 13, they will only come once into the country. “So, anyone who wants to get into Emirates should get out by December 12.
“I know they cannot bear the pressure. Honestly, who cares? By their not coming, they are losing a lot of money and we also in Nigeria are losing the service they provide. But the sovereignty of 200million people is too important to toil with.”
The UAE wrote to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority saying its action to limit Emirates’ flights to once weekly was unjustifiable.
In a letter dated December 10 and addressed to Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, and signed by Abdulla Bin Touq Al Mari, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, the Arabian country had said the action taken by the NCAA regarding the Air Peace’s approval at Sharjah was “not in line with the spirit of the agreed air services arrangements between our two nations.”
The row between the two countries deepened on Monday when the UAE said airlines should not bring Nigerians into the country anymore.
The Nigerian government had also stated that it would in the coming days place the United Kingdom, Canada, and Saudi Arabia on the red list over the Omicron virus and stop their airlines from coming to Nigeria in retaliation for baring Nigerians from travelling.