Saudi Arabia has canceled the visas of all 264 passengers transported by Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, upon their arrival in Jeddah from Kano. The Saudi authorities insisted that the airline repatriate the entire group back to Nigeria.
Upon landing in Jeddah on Monday morning, the passengers were shocked to learn about the visa cancellations, despite having undergone Advanced Passengers Prescreening System (APPS) checks monitored by Saudi authorities before departure from Nigeria. An informed source raised concerns about whether this incident was a deliberate strategy to deter the airline from serving the destination, especially considering its consistently high load factors.
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According to THISDAY The Nigerian embassy intervened, leading Saudi authorities to permit 87 passengers to stay while insisting that the remaining 177 should return on the Air Peace flight. The incident prompted speculation about aero politics, suggesting an attempt to push the Nigerian carrier out of the route unless government intervention occurs.
Saudi Air had been operating direct flights from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, but Air Peace, with relatively lower fares, gained significant patronage, contributing to foreign exchange savings for Nigeria.
A source from the Nigerian embassy in Jeddah revealed that even Saudi immigration personnel claimed ignorance about who canceled the visas. The source emphasized that the airline had been cleared by the Advanced Passenger Prescreening System.
The deported passengers, numbering 177, have already returned to Nigeria. Stanley Olisa, spokesperson for Air Peace, confirmed the incident, stating that the airline would issue a detailed statement soon.
Industry observers see this as a case of aero politics and recommend government intervention, urging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to step in and uphold the rights of the Nigerian carrier as per the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between the two countries.
Group Captain John Ojikutu, CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to support designated carriers as flag carriers when operating internationally.
Ojikutu called for immediate government action to ensure that Air Peace is not unjustly denied its rights.
“The action of the Saudi Authorities is shocking. There is aeropolitics 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.
“Government must come out and intervene. Government must be behind Air Peace now to ensure that it is not denied its rights as contained in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between the two countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must not keep quiet. Nigeria must not keep quiet. Ideally, government is expected to stand behind any of the country’s airline that it designates to fly overseas,” Ojikutu said.