Saudi Arabian authorities have cancelled the visas of all 264 passengers airlifted by Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, upon their arrival in Jeddah from Kano, ordering the airline to return the passengers to Nigeria.
The incident has caused shock and disbelief among stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation industry, who believe it is a deliberate attempt to discourage Air Peace from operating to Saudi Arabia.
According to Vanguard, a source said, “The airline was exonerated in all this as the APPS, which is live between both countries would have screened out any invalid visa and its passenger. The system accepted all affected passengers and passed them on.
“Those deported were 177 passengers and Air Peace has already left with them back to Nigeria. They are on their way to Nigeria now.”
Air Peace has been operating direct flights from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia at relatively lower fares than its competitors. Since its launch, the airline has experienced high load factors and its flights are often fully booked.
“The action of the Saudi Authorities is shocking,” said Group Captain John Ojikutu, Chief Executive Officer of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, Nigeria.
“There is geopolitics there and there is also diplomacy. There is the need for the Nigerian government to stand firmly with Nigerian carriers and also designate them as flag carriers; so that other countries will know that they represent Nigeria.”
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must not keep quiet,” Ojikutu said. “Nigeria must not keep quiet. Ideally, the government is expected to stand behind any of the country’s airlines that it designates to fly overseas.“
