International airlines operating in Nigeria are bracing for more competition as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Emirate Airlines reenter the market after over one year.
The airline has announced that it plans to commence two flights daily to Nigeria, which will be heralded with huge discounts to current fares by the major players, Qatar, British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines among others.
The airline plans to commence two daily flights to Abuja and Lagos, the political and economic capitals of Nigeria from 1 October, which is the Africa nation’s 64 Independence Anniversary.
A Lagos Business School, LBS, Breakfast Session headlined by Mr Bismarck Rewane of Financial Derivatives Limited, in its latest release, predicted that Emirates would enter the market with “huge discounts to current fares”.
A copy of the release obtained by our reporter, further stated that the airline will be “eating into the market share of Qatar Air, BA, and Ethiopian Airlines”.
NDN recalls that Emirates suspended flights to Nigeria in September 2022 over its inability to repatriate funds from Nigeria, which was battling acute forex shortage and economic upheavals.
The Arab country also imposed stringent visa rules on Nigerians travelling to the country for business or pleasure, leading to increased tension and fraying the relationship between the two countries.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and other top functionaries of his administration visited the UAE as part of its diplomatic shuttle and investment drive across the globe, leading to improved relations with the UAE.
The American Hospital Dubai recently opened its first Emirati medical tourism office abroad in Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria.
It said the expansion into Nigeria would ensure that more Nigerians benefit from the UAE’s premier, world-renowned, and evidence-based medical care facilities.
