International Air Travel Association has expressed disappointment that the amount of airline money blocked from repatriation by the Nigerian government grew to $464 million in July. This concern was made on the verified twitter handle of the association.
IATA’s many warnings that failure to restore timely repatriation will hurt Nigeria with reduced air connectivity are proving true with the withdrawal of @emirates from the market.
Airlines can’t be expected to fly if they can’t realize revenue from ticket sales. Loss of connectivity harms the economy, hurts investor confidence, impacts jobs and people’s lives.
The Government of Nigeria needs to prioritize the release funds before more damage is done.