Travel News

By Funmilayo Fabunmi

International passengers departing Nigeria were on Wednesday and Thursday stranded in Lagos, Cairo, Doha, London and other destinations after baggage belt failures at the new terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, forced airlines to delay and cancel flights.

The travel chaos lingered as officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and foreign airlines battled to resolve the congestion and baggage failures in the MMIA new terminal.

The pandemonium followed the sudden relocation of foreign airlines from the international terminal of Lagos airport to an adjoining new terminal which was opened last March.

The new terminal, built by the Federal Government with loans from China, had remained underutilised until Wednesday when FAAN ordered over a dozen of international airlines to vacate the MMA international terminal to the place.

The new Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, had ordered airlines to relocate to the new terminal on October 1, 2023 but FAAN on Wednesday forcefully relocated the international carriers to the facility.

The sudden relocation by FAAN came the same day fire razed part of the baggage hall of the MMIA, forcing the agency to evacuate passengers and personnel  from the facility.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, passengers and airport workers were asked to return to the terminal. However, at about 8pm, FAAN officials ordered airlines to relocate to the new terminal but officials of the carriers reportedly ignored the order, a situation that forced FAAN to turn off the check-in system.

The airlines later relocated to the new terminal to continue their check-in process at about 9pm, but congestion, frequent baggage belt failures, logistics challenges and other teething problems led to pandemonium at the terminal.

The chaos at the terminal forced international airlines to record over four hours of delays, a situation that forced many of their passengers to miss their connections.

British Airways, AirFrance, KLM, Qatar Airways flights, which were scheduled to depart Lagos between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday, later left around 4am on Thursday.

 Passengers and airlines personnel who spoke with The PUNCH described the experience as ‘’hellish.”

Egypy also recorded about four hours of delay.

Airline officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the matter, said many of their passengers missed their connections in London, Cairo, Doha, Amsterdam and Paris.

It was also gathered that Kenya Airways was forced to cancel its flights after the crew exceeded their rest period. The stranded passengers were later taken to a Lagos hotel.

Reacting, the Director of Media, FAAN, Mr Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, said the airport fire and other development affecting power supply necessitated the sudden relocation of the foreign carriers.  However, he said FAAN was on the matter.

He said, “We are doing our best to make it better.  Issues like this will come with some challenges and hitches. Things are now as good as good as they should be and we hope it will be better. The MD and directors were there up till this evening.”

However, a top official of an European carrier, who spoke with The PUNCH, said the Federal Government needed to address the matter holistically.

She said, “The conveyor belts at the new terminal failed to work from last night (Wednesday). After the fire incident at the old terminal, which was put out, the smoke was heavy and the terminal had to be evacuated.

“After the smoke had cleared out, light was turned on and everything came back to normal. I left the airport at about 5:00pm. Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM and United Airlines were already checking-in that time. At about 8:00pm, however, FAAN officials came and asked everybody to leave the terminal and proceed to the new terminal to complete their check-in process. Of course, the airlines resisted because they were still checking in their passengers.  FAAN switched off the power at the check-in desks, so we were forcefully moved.”

She added, “So, all the airlines came to the new terminal but I think the baggage belts were not constructed to handle a lot of bags. The baggage belts kept breaking down from time to time, so the bags started piling up. Kenya Airways had to cancel their flight, Egypt Air had a four-hour delay, and they had over 100 passengers with connections; so they all missed their flight connections at Cairo and had to be put in hotels. British Airways, KLM and others left at about 4:00am, so all the flights from last night were delayed because of the baggage situation.”

On what could be done to address the situation, the official said, “The main issues are: there’s space constraint. The terminal does not have the capacity to accommodate the number of passengers that they’re forcing into that space, so I don’t know why they are insisting we have to move there. They’re saying it’s a ministerial mandate, the minister has said that we must move. The baggage breaks down frequently.”

“Even though the minister said the deadline is October 1, FAAN said they had decided to move by Sept 10. But why they are moving on September 6th is what we don’t know. United Airlines and Delta left around 3:00am.”

An official of another European carrier, who also spoke with The PUNCH, said, “ I was on standing from 7pm on Wednesday till 5:30am on Thursday. It was a miserable situation. The chaos continued this evening on Thursday. FAAN MD and the directors were also around to see the situation, it is sad.”

FAAN, in a statement explaining the sudden relocation on Thursday, said, “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has redirected processing of passengers through the New International Terminal, effective immediately. The expedited relocation to the New International Terminal at MMIA was deemed necessary due to the unfortunate fire incident that occurred at International Terminal 1 yesterday.

“The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, during his maiden visit to Lagos airport had directed FAAN to relocate airlines to the New International Terminal for the shutdown of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal 1 by 1st October 2023  with a view to improving passenger experience and for a total overhaul of the terminal. We intend to make this movement  as seamless as possible  but  appeal to all travellers to please be at the airport early enough to  complete  their check-in  formalities on time  in order not to miss their flight.”

By Chijioke Ohuocha and Felix Onuah

ABUJA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Emirates Airlines will resume immediate flight schedules to Nigeria and lift a visa ban on Nigerian travellers, following a meeting between the leaders of the two countries, the Nigerian presidency said on Monday.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met on Monday in Abu Dhabi to lift the visa ban and agree on new investments into Africa's largest economy.

Tinubu stopped in Abu Dhabi on his way from G20 summit in India, where he wooed investors to Nigeria.

Last month Tinubu said he wanted an immediate resolution to the disagreements with Emirates Airlines and visa issues by the Arab country.

But liquidity has yet to return on the official market with the naira quoted at a premum on the black market.

Ngelale said Tinubu negotiated a new foreign exchange liquidity program between the two governments and that details will be announced in the coming weeks.

He said both leaders have established a framework for new investments involving several billions of dollars into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defense, agriculture and others, by UAE's investment arms, Ngelale said.

Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha and Felix Onuah Editing by David Evans, Peter Graff and Richard Chang

BY TATENDA KARUWA

The carrier has received local permission to fly to the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

•  United Nigeria Airlines has been granted local approval to operate intercontinental flights to the US, UK, UAE, and other countries.
•  Before beginning non-stop services, the carrier must complete several processes, including obtaining permission and necessary documentation from civil aviation authorities.
•  It will be challenging for United Nigeria Airlines to secure regulatory approval and acquire proper licensing to begin flights to the US and Europe. The carrier also needs to acquire appropriate aircraft for these services.

KEY POINTS

• Southwest, Alaska and United reported higher fuel costs this summer.
• Prices have spiked some 30% since early July.
• Airlines are scheduled to report full results in October.

Major U.S. airlines warned about a spike in jet fuel prices, adding to costs during the busy summer travel season.

Jet fuel in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York averaged $3.18 a gallon on Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday weekend, up more than 30% compared with July 5, according to industry group Airlines for America.

Fuel and labor are airlines’ biggest costs. A spike raises questions about how much of the increase carriers have been able to pass along to customers this summer after fares fell from last year.

The higher cost forecasts come as Southwest Airlines narrowed its unit revenue outlook for the current quarter. The Dallas-based carrier said it expected unit revenue to fall 5% to 7% from last year in the three months ending Sept. 30. In July, Southwest said revenue could drop as little as 3% this quarter from last year.

“While August 2023 close-in leisure bookings were on the lower-end of the Company’s expectations, modestly impacted by seasonal trends, overall leisure demand and yields continue to remain healthy,” the carrier said in a securities filing.

Southwest said that it expects fuel to average $2.70 to $2.80 a gallon this quarter, up from its earlier estimate of up $2.55 to $2.65. It maintained its forecast for capacity to rise 12% from 2022.

Other carriers warned increased costs could affect their results.

Prices of luxury properties, especially, in the high-end have climbed steadily over the past few years in major cities such as Lagos and Abuja creating more opportunities for budding investors and Industrialists in the country as dollar priced properties rebound.

LEADERSHIP learnt that factors responsible for dollarisation of real estate transactions include: increased population of expatriates; foreign exchange market structure; willingness of expatriate tenants to pay in dollars; bulkiness of naira notes in huge volume transactions; and incidence of money laundering.

This is also coupled with the foreign exchange policy which has created a lot of vacancies averaging 30 per cent as supply outstripped demand in a market, which used to be an attraction to expatriates that come into the country for businesses and other official reasons,lending support to foreign capital inflows.

Nigeria’s Real Estate growth rate stood at 5.31 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, with a three per cent basis points decline from 5.34 in the first quarter of 2022. The total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the real estate sector stood at 5.64 per cent in the full year of 2022.

The inflation rate in Nigeria rose for the fourth month to a near 18-year high of 22.41 per cent in May 2023, up from 22.22 per cent in the prior month. The development has impacted negatively on prices of goods and services including rent and cost of properties.

In locations like Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki axis, rents/sale prices are often quoted in dollars, hence incidences of dollar-denominated sale agreements. Prices for most luxury residential buildings start from $80,000 to $150,000 yearly or more in locations like Banana Island and old Ikoyi, Lagos.

The optimism of experts in the sector is based on the fact that previous multiple exchange rates created room for rent seeking and arbitrage, as well as distorted the exchange rate management system to the extent that access to the official window and lower rate was difficult.

But there is hope for increased supply of dollar currency in the market with the Federal Government’s new exchange rate unification policy. The CBN had pulled the plug on the foreign exchange (FX) market to allow gradual rates harmonisation around the Investors’ and Exporters’ (I&E) window.

Speaking on this development, Estate surveyor and valuer, Prof. Austin Otegbulu, said the heightened exchange rate crisis in the past years affected the performance of the market as most of expatriates that require such properties be it residential and commercial left the country.

Otegbulu, who is also a professor of Asset, Environmental Valuation and Investment Decision Analysis, noted that, with attempts by the Federal Government to unify the exchange rate, operators are optimistic for a rebound of the market, if the policy is well implemented to warrant massive return of foreign investors into the country.

He said, at the initial stage when investors returned, they may settle for serviced apartments. However, he said if they are convinced that there is economic stability and prosperity, that can trigger demand for luxury properties that are benchmark in dollar.

He said the market can only thrive on the forces of demand and supply and the ability of the renters to pay, adding if the economy cannot sustain the payment asked for by property owners, the demand may remain down.

“We once had high demand for such properties, when there were few serviced apartments that are compliant with international standards and mainly occupied by expatriates and representatives of big companies.

“When there is scarcity, the seller dictates the tune and people are asked to pay in dollars. But the subscribers find it difficult as the value of naira keeps depreciating. If somebody is earning in Naira and something he was buying for N160 suddenly becomes N720 to one dollar and finds out that the one in Naira has not changed, so most of them had to bring down dollar prices of the properties. The ability to pay in dollars is very difficult now,” he said.

Otegbulu said: “Most of the expatriates left Nigeria because their companies were not doing well again and so, it was difficult for them to sustain paying rents for dollarised properties. Even some of the grade A’ office spaces, which are green certified buildings, especially on Ozumba Mbadiwe Way in Victoria Island, when they were completed, the rent were about $1,200 per square metre initially but along the line, it became $1000 as the economy was down and at a point it came to $600 to $650 per square metre.”

“There was a situation of someone who was paying a higher amount in dollars, then they wanted to move out because the renter cannot afford it any more. The valuer who was close to the owner had to advise him that instead of allowing the renter to move out and the place becoming vacant, it is better to reduce rent and so he had to take the advice.”

He pointed out that the new monetary policy relating to the foreign exchange unification is quite laudable, but stated that it will take the economy to start witnessing the positive effects before it can cause a rebound in the real estate industry.

This is just as the head of Research, Diya, Fatimilehin & Company, Mr. Tola Oyenekan, explained that, when an economy is not doing well, the expatriates leave. He said that is why we have seen increased vacancies in luxury apartments as most of the expatriates exited their property.

Oyenekan said: “It is not just the unification, we are also looking at access. So, there is increased access to get dollars now because the limitations are not there anymore. I believe you can walk into any bank and request for dollars having removed the limit. You can get as high as $10,000 in a day.

“What that means is that there will be increased supply. There is more foreign currency in the hands of people and so, if you want to do transactions in foreign currencies regarding properties, you can actually do it.

“But looking at it from the investor’s angle, especially for somebody who has been getting his money in dollars or returns in dollars, gone are those days when you get your returns in dollars and you go to the black market and because of the disparity in the black market and official rate, you expect to have a huge difference to your advantage. This has given the black market operators a run for their money. Everybody is now operating at a rate that is similar.”

He emphasised that once there is increased access to foreign exchange, which is what foreign investors have always wanted, it means the market has become more attractive for foreign investors and that means foreign investors can do more businesses in Nigeria and rent more properties because some of the dollarised properties are actually taken and occupied by expatriates.

Oyenekan said: “What is going to happen now is that some of the expatriates will start coming back and what that means is an interest in luxury properties, hence, those prices of properties that are benchmarked in dollars will go up.

“For now, many of the luxury properties in highbrow locations in Lagos will have to allow the existing rents to run till the end of the lease. Maybe upon renewal of rent, the managers of the properties may have to jerk up the rents. The service charge of some of these properties will go up because there is already a rising cost of fuel due to the removal of subsidy, which will impact service charge on properties.”

He pointed out that there would be a reduced number of properties that will be benchmarked in dollars. For instance, he said if a tenant paid $10,000 for a property before, what that means is that you are going to pay a bit more.

A former chief executive officer, Knight Frank Nigeria, Joe ldudu, said demands for luxury apartments benchmarked in dollars in locations like lkoyi have slumped due to rising prices.

He said: “But now that we have just a single market, we will see what will happen, otherwise in Naira terms, everything becomes so heavy. Can you imagine such millions of naira in rent? It is ridiculous. They will tell you $10 million and that amount before now multiplied by N700, is about N7 billion.”

By Seun Adeuyi

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) did not make any comment on lifting the visa ban imposed on Nigerian travellers in its statement on the meeting its president, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had with his Nigerian counterpart, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday.

Daily Trust had reported how Tinubu proceeded to Abu Dahbi, UAE capital, from India, where he attended the G-20 Summit.

In a statement on Monday, Presidential spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, announced that the meeting with the UAE authorities was fruitful.

According to Ngelale, disputes on the visa ban slammed on Nigerian travellers 10 months ago, suspension of Etihad and Emirates flights were resolved at the meeting.

BY  Chigozirim Enyinnia &Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha 

A number of Nigerian students have seen their plans to study in the United States frustrated as their applications for F-1 visas were denied, BusinessDay’s findings reveal.

The visa denials have left some students in a funk as they also lamented the financial losses caused by the development.

A 24-year-old writer seeking to improve her skills through a postgraduate programme in creative writing was denied a US visa earlier this year.

The student, who declined to be identified, said she provided the necessary documents, which qualified her for an interview. “I was shocked when I was handed the rejection slip. The first thing that came to my mind was the disappointment this posed for my parents. After the time and expenses invested, it still was a failure,” Kike said.

She told BusinessDay that she had done everything she needed to do and provided all the necessary information for the interview to go well. She was just waiting for the green light to buy her flight ticket.

“I had looked up past interviews and prepared my answers because this meant a lot to me,” she said. “We were already making plans. To us, it seemed like a sure thing. After all, it’s just a student visa, and I was excited to continue my education there. I even got a great opportunity for a part-time job through a graduate assistantship program. You can imagine how much that would add to my experience once I finished my master’s programme.”

Kike said she had paid $350 for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System fee and N67,200 for the US Embassy visa fee.

Read also: What qualifies you for a US visa?

“After I had provided all these, and my responses during the interview, the interviewer simply looked at me and handed me the denial letter. I was shocked to get such a letter from the embassy,” she said. “Beyond the embarrassment of being rejected, I felt a profound sense of hopelessness for my future.

Chinaza Ofodum also experienced a visa rejection in 2022, which she described as “demoralising”.

“It was disheartening. Even though I had all the required documents, I still faced rejection. To be honest, I’m still perplexed by the reasons behind it,” she said.

Student visa applications are increasingly being denied by the US, according to research, with African applicants the least likely to be let in, according to a recent report by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

“More than 92,000 potentially qualified African students were denied visas between 2015 and 2022,” it said.

The report revealed that the refusal rate in West Africa was 71 per cent compared to just 16 per cent in southern Africa.

It said 31 per cent of applications for F-1 student visas were refused in 2022 – a “significant” increase from 23 per cent in 2015.

Rajika Bhandari, senior adviser at the Presidents’ Alliance, said the low acceptance rates for African students were a “missed opportunity” for the US because excluding potentially qualified and interested students runs counter to the country’s need to attract global talent.

“Turning away such large numbers of African students also limits the ability of US colleges and universities to benefit from a diverse population of international students,” she added.

Michael Ugorji, a travelling agent, said the interview appointment is the most challenging part of the student visa application.

“You can get admission to any university in America, pay your school fee, and every other thing, but to get a visa appointment is the problem,” he said. “Some people are even paying to draw appointments from different sides, yet they are denied the visa appointment.”

“Some people who are going for the August-September academic session are forced to forfeit their admissions even after paying the school fee as a result of the delays in getting visa-appointment.”

In an email sent to BusinessDay by the US Embassy spokesperson, the US Consulate said Nigeria sends more students to US colleges and universities than any other country in Africa.

“In the 2021-2022 school year, Nigeria sent 14,438 students to the US, the highest number of students in more than 30 years,” the spokesperson said. “In this calendar year to date, Mission Nigeria has interviewed over 32,000 students – with over 16,000 of those just since May.”

According to the spokesperson, the consular officers are trained to assess the circumstances of each student visa applicant, and student visa adjudication policies are consistent world-wide.

“All visa applications are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act and applicable federal regulations. International students are welcome in the United States and a top priority for the Department of State,” he said.

He said the consulate recognises the important contributions these students make to US college and university campuses, their positive impact on US communities, and the rich benefits of academic cooperation in increasing cultural understanding and furthering research and knowledge. 

The United Arab Emirates has lifted a year-long visa ban imposed on Nigerian travelers, authorities in the West African country said Monday.

The restriction placed by the UAE last October was lifted following negotiations between Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu and UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Both men met earlier on Monday in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and concluded what the Nigerian government described as “a historic agreement” that will also pave the way for the immediate resumption of flights between both countries.s

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalized a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers,” a statement by Nigeria’s presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale said.

“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the statement added.

Flights between both countries were stopped last year after Dubai’s Emirates airline suspended its operations in Nigeria citing trapped revenues.

The UAE’s Dubai emirate has been a popular destination for Nigerian travelers for many years but visas to the West Africans and nationals of 19 other African states were halted last year for undisclosed reasons.

United Nigeria Airlines, one of the leading airlines in the country, has received approval for operation of international flights.

The airline secured approval to operate international flights to the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The approval was contained in a letter dated September 8, 2023 from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and signed by the Director, Air Transport Management, Mr H. T. Ejiburu, on behalf of the minister, Mr Festus Keyamo.

According to the letter addressed to United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, the approval was in line with the subsisting Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) between Nigeria and each of the countries.

The letter reads: “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 2nd August 2023 on the above subject and convey the Honourable Minister’s approval for the designation of Messrs United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited to operate international flight operations to the undermentioned countries and cities: Netherlands (Amsterdam), Italy (Rome), United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Dubai), United Kingdom (London), United States of America (USA) (Houston) and Ireland (Dublin).

“The designation of Messrs United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited is in line with the subsisting Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the governments of the six mentioned countries.

“Consequently, the airline is hereby advised to liaise with the civil aviation authorities of the aforementioned countries for documentation before the commencement of scheduled flight operations. However, you are obliged to comply with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (Nig. CARs (2023) Part 18.5.1.1 A-C by taking further steps to liaise with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in fulfilling the requirements if necessary.

“Kindly note that the approval has been communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its further necessary actions.”

BY  Babatola Ayomide Victoria 

The UK government is offering a £10,000 international relocation payment to non-UK trainees and teachers of languages and physics who are coming to England to work.

The payment is designed to help cover the costs of moving to England, such as visa fees, immigration health surcharge, and other relocation expenses.

Here are the requirements to be eligible for the payment: You must: * Be a non-UK citizen

* Be coming to England to teach or train to teach languages or physics

* Have a degree

* Have recognized teacher-training qualifications

* Have at least one year of teaching experience

* Be able to speak English to an undergraduate level

Applications for the payment are open until 31 October 2023. You can apply online at the Get Into Teaching website.

The UK government is offering this payment in an effort to attract more teachers to England, particularly in the areas of languages and physics.

There is a shortage of teachers in these subjects, and the government hopes that the payment will make it more attractive for qualified teachers from overseas to come and work in England.

In addition to the £10,000 relocation payment, there are other benefits available to teachers who come to work in England. These include:

* A competitive salary

* Support for professional development

* Varied job opportunities

Here are some additional details about the eligibility requirements for the international relocation payment:

* The languages that are eligible for the payment are: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.

* The physics courses that are eligible for the payment are: physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.

* The visa that you need to apply for is the skilled worker visa.

* The immigration health surcharge is a fee that you need to pay to the UK government for access to the National Health Service (NHS).