Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has concluded plans to give Nigerian carriers wishing to operate in the UAE reciprocal rights under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) existing between the two countries.
The Minister, who spoke on the sidelines of the Aviation Africa Summit in Abuja, said his ministry had begun to work out flight resumption of Emirates Airlines and Etihad, stressing that resumption of flights from the Nigerian routes Emirates pulled out from last year due to a diplomatic face-off could take a little more time.
Keyamo cited how he insisted on getting assurance from the UAE authorities that Nigerian airlines would be granted any spot they choose to fly to.
This came just as Nigeria and South Africa signed an agreement on air safety and how to assist the country in attaining high safety standards.
His words, “It is an immediate deliverable for me under the indicator ensuring enforcement of highest standards within our shores.”
“South Africa is doing 92% with ICAO; we are doing 70%, and our agreement today is that we have signed an agreement with a bigger brother in terms of safety standards in Africa, and we are proud to do so because of sharing intelligence with them that somebody is lifting us up.
It is going to be a symbiotic relationship because there are also areas we are going to assist them with in terms of safety standards. That is what we did today”.
He used the opportunity to declare his readiness to call for a stakeholders’ meeting to address the myriad of challenges facing the sector, particularly on multiple charges and the fact that the Abuja and Lagos airports rank as the aerodromes with the highest levies.
Speaking on the foreign airlines’ trapped funds, the Minister assured foreign airlines that they would be paid soon, stressing that the country is not doing the carriers favours by paying them their monies.
According to him, “It is their trapped fund that is there and earned already. Issues of liquidity caused the problem, and that is our problem.
“The issue of liquidity has been addressed right now, and the President is very concerned about it. We addressed that issue in the UAE. We have begun to work out the details of flight resumption “.
He, however, promised to support the local carriers’ initiatives.
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