The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has revealed that Emirates Airlines is on the verge of announcing the long-awaited date for the resumption of its flights.

The minister shared this information through his official Twitter handle on Sunday.

Emirates has since suspended flight operations into Nigeria because they were not able to get their funds from sales of tickets.

The PUNCH reported last week that about 90 percent of foreign airlines’ $783m trapped funds were unpaid.

According to data from the International Air Transport Association, as of August 2023, Nigeria accounted for a substantial $783m of airlines’ blocked funds.

Despite recent efforts to address the situation, the airlines said a significant portion of those funds remained inaccessible to them.

Keyamo noted that during his attendance at the Dubai Airshow last week, he engaged in productive discussions with the top leadership of Emirates Airlines on the sidelines of the event.

According to the minister, the talks were warm and fruitful, indicating significant progress in the efforts to resume flights from Dubai to Nigeria.

He emphasised the dedication of the involved parties towards reaching an agreement, highlighting the pivotal role played by President Bola Tinubu in championing that initiative.

He said the collaborative efforts were expected to yield a positive outcome with the imminent announcement of the exact date for the resumption of Emirates flights, bringing relief to travellers eagerly awaiting the reopening of this crucial international route.

“We are presently working on the small details and the airline will soon announce the exact date of their resumption of the flights,” he said. (Radio Nigeria)

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