British Airways stops travel agents from paying in Naira, considers flight suspension
According to reports, British Airways may discontinue flying to Nigeria as of December1,2022, due to the ongoing $464 million foreign airline fund crisis there.
The airline has reportedly closed its inventory, meaning travel agents would not be able to issue fresh tickets for their clients, but individuals can buy tickets only online, only in dollars.
It is speculated that the decision was taken to mitigate the effect of blocked funds as foreign airlines plan to take drastic action including suspension of flights to pressure the Nigerian Government to release their funds.
Emirates Airlines had already announced that it would suspend flights to Nigerian from September 1 over the same issue as the UAE carrier has over $85m trapped in Nigeria.
Daily Trust reported that the National Executive Council of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) confirmed the development with regards to British Airways.
Members of the association were told not to issue or pay for tickets beyond December following the new development and deadline issued to Nigerian government by British Airways.
