OFFICIAL: Emirates Airline to resume operations in Nigeria on October 1  

Kazim said on Wednesday that Emirates will operate a daily service between Lagos and Dubai, providing passengers from Nigeria’s largest city with enhanced options and connectivity through Dubai. 

The flights will be conducted using a Boeing 777-300ER. Flight EK783 will depart from Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Lagos at 1520hrs.  

The return flight, EK784, will depart Lagos at 1730hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0510hrs the following day.  

He noted that tickets are currently available for booking on emirates.com or through travel agents. 

Emirates Airline halted its flight operations to Nigeria in October 2022 because it couldn’t repatriate funds held in the country.  

The airline attributed the suspension to the $85 million revenue trapped in Nigeria. 

What Emirates is Saying 

According to Kazim, Emirates is resuming operations in Nigeria, marking a significant expansion of its network. He said the airline now operates to 19 destinations across Africa, providing a total of 157 weekly flights departing from Dubai. 

He highlighted that Emirates’ network extends even further, reaching an additional 130 regional locations across Africa.  

This expansion is facilitated through codeshare and interline partnerships with several airlines, including South African Airways, Airlink, Royal Air Maroc, and Tunis Air. 

Kazim said the strategic importance of these partnerships enhances connectivity and offers more travel options to Emirates’ customers throughout the continent. 

In an earlier interview with Arise TV and reported by Naijaonpoint in April, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had said the Federal Government is working with the authorities of Emirates Airline for the resumption of the airline service in the country.  

According to Keyamo, there is a high likelihood that the airline might resume operations in June 2024 after two years of suspending its services to Nigeria.