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Air Peace begins flight operations to Dubai Dec 16, as UAE makes peace
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has de-escalated the diplomatic row between her and Nigeria, following a disagreement on the implementation of the Bi-lateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the two countries, as it affects Air Peace Airlines.
Consequently, the rich Arab state has given Air Peace the green light to begin flight operations into Dubai on December 16, 2021.
RELIABLESOURCENG.COM reports that Nigeria had reciprocated the refusal by UAE to grant the Nigerian private carrier, Air Peace Airlines, three weekly flights into Dubai by drastically pruning down UAE’s Emirates flights into Nigeria from 21 weekly flights to just one.
Air Peace had requested to operate three flights into Dubai, via the premium Dubai International (DXB) but was handed just one slot and annexed to Sharja Airport, on the outskirt of Dubai.
Meanwhile, Emirates operates 21 flights a week into Nigeria – 14 through Lagos and seven through Abuja.
However, the authorities in UAE on Monday led the process of reconciliation with a letter to the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema, offering the Nigerian carrier seven weekly flights into Dubai International.
READ: UPDATE: Finally, South Africa grants Air Peace landing permit to evacuate 320 Nigerians
In the letter dated 13th December, 2021 with reference: DCAA/ASA/N-3/014, the Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Mohammed A. Ahli, acknowledged that relations between UAE and Nigeria “go a long way back and we value these relations”.
He promised that UAE “surely wish to facilitate easy and safe travel for the people, between our two brotherly countries”.
Consequently, Ahli wrote: “We write in reference to Air Peace’s possible/intended operations to/from Dubai Airports (DXB). We have received information from Dubai Airports, with regard to slot availability at DXB- Terminal 1 and as a gesture of goodwill and in support of UAE and Nigeria relations, in case Air Peace wish to start their flights, slots have been blocked by Dubai Airports as detailed below.
“Slots available and blocked for Air Peace are the following:
“A0540LT D0800LT – All days and A0510LT D0800LT – without day 6.
“As these slots cannot be blocked indefinitely, we would highly appreciate if Air Peace could kindly reach out to Dubai Airports – ACL and inform them of their intentions to operate by Thursday 16th December, 2021 and accordingly confirm the blocked slots.”
