"Go Back Home": Confusion as Saudi Arabia Cancels 264 Nigerian Visas, Deports Many at Point of Entry
- Nigerian airline, Air Peace, was sent back from Saudi Arabia with 264 passengers
- However, the number of affected passengers was reduced after the Nigerian government's intervention.
- As of the time of this report, Saudi Arabia has not explained what informed its action
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Air Peace, airlifting 264 passengers, was sent back from Saudi Arabia on arrival in Jeddah from Kano on Monday, November 13, 2023.
After Nigeria’s federal ministry of foreign affairs intervened, however, the number of affected passengers was reduced to 177.
The Saudi Arabian authorities also announced that all the passengers’ visas were cancelled.
Source: Getty Images
This is in spite of the fact that the flight, which took off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, via Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Sunday night reportedly arrived safely in Saudi Arabia.
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Passengers were properly checked
A source expressed shock at the development, given that the passengers went through the Advanced Passengers Prescreening System (APPS) during check-in.
The APPS was reportedly monitored by the Saudi Arabian authorities before the flight left Nigeria.
There are concerns that the action may have been geared towards discouraging the airline from operating to the destination.
Recall that the airline recently expanded its Asian footprint, commencing direct flight into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
BusinessDay reported that since it started the operation, it has been recording a high load factor and helping to conserve foreign exchange for the country.
Meanwhile, another source from the Nigerian embassy in Jeddah said even the Saudi immigration personnel were not aware of who cancelled the visas.
The source added that the visas were cancelled when the airline was already airborne to Jeddah.
“The airline was exonerated in all this as the Advanced Passenger Prescreening System(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,” the source said.
Legit.ng had reported that Air Peace also recently secured a Foreign Carrier Operator Permit (FCOP) to fly to London.
Air Peace, Dana, Max Air, and other Nigerian Airlines missing from top 10 Best-Performing Airlines in Africa
In a related story, Legit.ng reported no Nigerian airline made the list of top 10 best-performing airlines in Africa.
This was despite the fact Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s largest carriers, was recently certified to fly the Lagos-London route.
The 2022–2023 survey assessed over 325 airlines and involved participants from over 100 countries as customers from September 2022 to May 2023.
Source: Legit.ng
