All 264 of the passengers that Air Peace evacuated from Kano to Jeddah on Monday had their visas revoked by Saudi Arabia, which demanded that the airline take them back to Nigeria.
According to information obtained by DAILY POST, the aircraft took off on Sunday night from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and traveled via Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano. It arrived in the capital city of Saudi Arabia on Monday without any problems.
However, the Saudi Arabian authorities declared that all of the travelers’ visas had been revoked upon their arrival.
The development was confirmed by industry expert and CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, Nigeria, John Ojikutu.
“The Saudi authorities’ actions are disturbing. There is diplomacy there as well as aeropolitics. To let other nations realize that Nigerian carriers are Nigerian representatives, the Nigerian government must support Nigerian carriers and designate them as flag carriers.
He declared, “Government has to step up and take action.”
An additional anonymous source stated that the cancellation of the visas surprised both the passengers and the airline staff because, prior to the flight leaving Nigeria, the passengers had to go through the Advanced Passengers Prescreening System (APPS) for check-in, which was also under surveillance by Saudi Arabian authorities.
According to reports, Saudi authorities cut the number of people who would be repatriated from 264 to 177 when the Nigerian Embassy waded in.
Saudi Air has been conducting direct flights between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. High demand has been seen since Air Peace began offering flights to the Middle Eastern country at comparatively lower prices. It contributes to the nation’s foreign exchange reserves as a Nigerian carrier.
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