Air Peace Suspends Flights To Dubai-Effect Of US Visa Ban On Air Travel

As of November 22nd, 2022, Nigerian carrier Air Peace will be suspending flights from both Abuja and Lagos to Dubai. They anticipate that the suspension will be in place “until further notice.”

Air Peace began flying to Dubai International Airport (DXB) from Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) in March 2022. Since March of that year, the three weekly flights have been operated within Nigeria by one flagship Boeing 777-300 aircraft. These flights were later complemented in April of that same year by a weekly service to Dubai from Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV).

Air Peace released a statement explaining the route cancellations and said,

“Due to the non-issuance of visas and the accompanying inconveniences that have accompanied it, we must pause our operations into UAE. Air Peace will provide further updates as the situation unfolds.”

Dubai to Nigeria flights are nonexistent

Air Peace is not the only airline to pause flying between Nigeria and the UAE. Earlier this year, Emirates announced it would temporarily stop flights between the two nations, in protest of an ongoing dispute over funds from ticket sales that had not been released to the airline. On October 29th, 2022, flights were suspended for good due to negotiations failing.

“Under these extraordinary circumstances, Emirates had no option but to suspend flights to/from Nigeria from October 29th, 2022. This included the repatriation and receipt of at least 80% of our remaining blocked funds by the end of October 2022.”

The current situation with Emirates flights between Dubai and Abuja is hard to predict. There is no set timeline for when we can expect the flights will resume, as well as the same frequency.

Alternative means of transportation from Nigeria to the UAE

Etihad Airways is the only carrier that offers direct flights between Nigeria and the UAE. But there are plenty of convenient one-stop options for passengers wanting to fly from Nigeria, including Ethiopian Airlines with Addis Ababa in Ethiopia as well as British Airways via London Heathrow.

Air Peace has not often been affected by visa issues. In August this year, the airline suspended service to Johannesburg after delays in granting South African visas to Nigerian travelers created a significant backlog. The airline later resumed services in October.