United Arab Emirates-based flag carriers Emirates and Etihad Airlines will resume flights to Nigeria “without any further delay” as part of a wide-ranging deal between the Nigerian government and the UAE, according to the Nigerian government. The deal, agreed between Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, also includes the immediate repeal of a visa ban placed on Nigerian travellers and billions of dollars of UAE investments into Nigeria. “By this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay. As negotiated between the two Heads of State, this immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government,” said the statement. The return of Emirates would bring to an end a year of inactivity after the Dubai flag-carrier said in August 2022 that it would suspend all flights to and from Nigeria, citing its inability to repatriate funds from the country, then led by President Muhammadu Buhari.