The United Arab Emirate (UAE) abruptly revoked the visas of all 264 passengers flown by Nigeria’s Air Peace from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to Jeddah.
The Saudi authorities insisted on the return of all passengers to Nigeria. After the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs stepped in, the number of affected passengers was reduced to 177.
The flight, originating from Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport and transiting through Kano’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, arrived in Jeddah without incident. However, upon landing, the Saudi authorities announced the cancellation of all passengers’ visas. The sudden visa cancellations during check-in, which included Advanced Passenger Prescreening System (APPS), left passengers and airline personnel bewildered.
Questions arose about whether this incident was a deliberate strategy to discourage Air Peace from operating on the route, given the airline’s consistently high load factor since starting operations. After the Nigerian embassy’s intervention, Saudi authorities reduced the number of passengers to be returned from 264 to 177.
Saudi Air and Air Peace had both been operating flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Air Peace’s competitively priced fares had attracted significant patronage, contributing to foreign exchange savings for Nigeria.
A source from the Nigerian embassy in Jeddah reported that even Saudi Immigration personnel claimed ignorance about who canceled the visas, stating that the cancellations occurred while the airline was en route to Jeddah.
The 177 affected passengers were deported, with Air Peace returning them to Nigeria. Industry observers suggested that this incident might be rooted in aeropolitics, potentially a tactic to pressure the Nigerian operator out of the route unless the government intervenes, possibly adopting the principle of reciprocity.
