Shock and disbelief swept through as the Saudi Arabian authorities abruptly revoked the visas of all 264 passengers who were airlifted from Lagos and Kano to Jeddah on a Sunday.
Despite the flight’s departure from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos via the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, it landed at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, only to be met with the unexpected demand from Saudi officials – the airline was instructed to return all passengers to Nigeria.
The airline staff found themselves in a perplexing situation as the Saudi authorities, despite the passengers undergoing the Advanced Passengers Information System (APIS) during check-in procedures in Nigeria, declared the cancellation of their visas.
This puzzling development unfolded despite the Saudi authorities closely monitoring the APIS process carried out at the Nigerian airports.
It was reported that Air Peace penultimate week launched a direct flight to Jeddah which has been recording high load factor.
A source who confirmed the development said, “The screening of passengers from the MMIA and Kano Airport was thorough and there was no issue with the visas. These were people who were duly issued the visa and they passed through the advanced passenger information system which is accessible to both authorities in Lagos and Jeddah. We are surprised because this cancellation was announced when the flight already landed.
“We are suspecting this is a strategy to frustrate the Nigerian carrier out of the route, some people are definitely not happy with the option Air Peace is providing, the direct flight to Jeddah as against using another foreign airline which higher fares.”
It was learnt that, it was when the Nigerian embassy waded in that Saudi authorities reduced the number of passengers that would be returned to 177 from 264.
As of the time of filing this report, the Airline was on its way to Nigeria with the 177 passengers that were denied entry; majority of them going to perform lesser Hajj (Umrah).
Daily Trust reports that prior to the commencement of direct flight by Air Peace, Saudia, a Saudi Arabian flag carrier, has been operating directly from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia.
