The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has disclosed that the Federal Government is working assiduously to ensure that the trapped funds belonging to Emirate Airlines and other airline operators are paid promptly.
The minister made this known yesterday while fielding questions before the Senate Committee on Aviation. The minister appeared before the Aviation Committee to defend the 2023 Budget estimates.
The story:
A few weeks ago, Emirates Airline and other airline operators in Nigeria suspended their flights from Nigeria due to their inability to repatriate $85 million from Nigeria.
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Presently:
Four weeks later, the Nigerian government has not been able to remit the funds to the airlines. This has caused the airline operations to remain grounded in Nigeria.
The minister of Aviation noted the country’s aviation sector had been hit by a number of issues ranging from Covid19 to recession and has not been having a good time.
He, however, appealed to the airline operators to exercise patients and give the government more time to pay up.
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In his own words, “There were blocked funds in Nigeria. They signed an agreement. Recession plus COVID led foreign exchange to be scarce and we pleaded with airlines to give us time to allow Nigeria pay their money.
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“Almost all countries except UAE understood and we are trying to pay this money, but my concern is that countries go through war and problems and there should be mutual understanding with each other.
“We need their service, but they need our market more. We are assuring them that the money will be paid, but they should exercise restraint and treat Nigeria with value.
“There is no market in Aviation in the world as good as Nigeria. If we build our Airline to run internationally this will be of benefit to us. Emirates airline and the authorities should see us as sovereign and a market they need and should treat us as such.”