Emirates offers free transit permits to attract Nigerian tourists to Dubai.
Emirates has introduced free transit permits for Nigerian customers travelling through Dubai on its flights. In a recent email to its passengers, Emirates stated, “We are pleased to offer 48 or 96-hour UAE visas to our passengers purchasing tickets during the month of November.”
According to BusinessDay, only passengers on Emirates flights from Nigeria are eligible for visas.
Bankole Bernard, Group Managing Director (GMD) of Finchglow Holdings, a holding company for six Nigerian travel companies, told BusinessDay that the introduction of free transit visas is simply to entice passengers to book Emirates tickets, as the airline hasn’t received any passengers since resuming flight operations into Nigeria.
“What they need to do next is ease the visa rules. People have moved on.
Emirates is feeling the heat, and they may feel it even more if the UAE fails to relax visa rules. They need to study their comeback to figure out which path to go.
“Emirates must reposition themselves. They are also brutal on travel agencies,” Bernard explained. Recall that Emirates, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), started flying operations into Nigeria on October 1.
This comes two years after the airline suspended operations due to a number of concerns, including unresolved trapped funds.
Prior to its flight resume, naijaeyes claimed that the airline had received minimal bookings.
Aside from competition from other foreign airlines that have benefited from Emirates’ absence on the Nigerian route, travel agents and aviation industry stakeholders have attributed the low passenger turnout to Nigerians’ stringent visa requirements and the airline’s dollarised tickets.
Before applying for a UAE visa, a Nigerian passport holder is required to produce a six-month bank statement with a minimum balance of $10,000 (about N16 million).
Nigerian citizens having valid visas to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Schengen countries may find the rule more lenient.
Furthermore, Nigerians with green passports must present round-trip travel tickets and evidence of hotel reservation before applying for a UAE visa.
Furthermore, Nigerian candidates must get a Document Verification Number (DVN), which the UAE stated was used to authenticate and verify documentation required for visa applications to the UAE.
The UAE introduced various sorts of visas for Nigerians, with costs ranging from N150,000 to N270,000.
A Nigerian passport holder is required to pay N150,000 for a transit visa; N200,000 for a 30-day tourist visa; N250,000 for a 60-day tourist visa; and N270,000.
According to a source close to Emirates, the airline is taking its time in the Nigerian market and believes in its strong brand. Before suspending flying operations into Nigeria, Emirates had the highest frequency, with 14 weekly flights into Lagos.
Emirates has an average of 350 passengers per flight. The airline carries 4,900 people on 14 flights between Dubai and Lagos. On the Dubai-Lagos route, the airline transported an average of 9,800 passengers each week, including return flights.
Since Emirates ceased its operations in Nigeria, its 9,800 Lagos passengers have had to compete for seats on Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, Etihad, and Rwanda, which connect them to Dubai.
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