Emirates Airline has received approval from the Federal Ministry of Aviation to increase its daily passenger flights route to include Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The airline, in a statement, said the approval would assist the company to further meet the travel needs of its customers and would arrive at its destinations without a lot of stress.

It quoted the Senior Vice-President, Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs, Emirates Airlines, Mr. Salem Obaidalla, as saying that the flights would be operated in accordance with the existing UAE-Nigeria agreement on air services, with four weekly flights routed Dubai-Abuja-Kano-Dubai and three weekly flights routed Dubai-Kano-Abuja-Dubai, without carriage of domestic traffic (cabotage) between Abuja and Kano.

He said Emirates remained fully committed to the Nigerian market and would provide Nigerian travellers the best service.

The statement added that Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of the airline, introduced a scheduled freighter service to Kano in October 2013, and with Abuja joining the network, Emirates would now fly to 26 destinations in Africa and 142 worldwide in 80 countries.

The airline began services to Nigeria on January 2, 2004 with four flights per week from Dubai to Lagos linked with Accra in Ghana, using an A330-200 aircraft.

A year later, Emirates increased its services from four to six flights a week; and following further demand, it became a daily operation in October 2005.

The Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said “Nigeria is experiencing strong demographic and economic growth. The country is strategic to Emirates’ global expansion, as Africa is.

“With our decision to start a daily linked service to Abuja and Kano, we will now offer a very convenient and comfortable access to Dubai, and to Emirates network via Dubai, particularly the Middle East and Asia Pacific.”

He added that the route would be serviced by an Airbus 340-500 offering a total of 258 seats in a three class configuration – 12 in the First Class, 42 in the Business Class and 204 in the Economy Class.

The Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, expressed joy that passengers from Abuja, Kano and other parts of the North who patronise Emirates would have the airline’s services brought to their doorsteps, and pledged to continue to partner Emirates and other airlines to deliver the best service to air travellers in the country.