The much-awaited Emirates Airlines flight to Lagos has landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) after it suspended its flights to the country.

A visit by BusinessDay to the MMIA terminal on Tuesday afternoon revealed that arriving passengers were being processed at the old MMIA terminal.

Passengers who spoke to BusinessDay at the terminal said the flight was not full but onboard services were very good.

Also read:Keyamo signs reciprocal rights with UAE ahead of Emirates flight resumption

Arriving passengers currently use the old terminal, while departing passengers are processed at the new terminal.

The Middle East-based mega carrier had earlier announced that it would resume flight services to Nigeria from October 1, 2024.

This was announced by Emirates Media Centre, the airline’s news website. The airline said: “Emirates will resume services to Nigeria from October 1, 2024, with a daily service between Lagos and Dubai, offering customers more choice and connectivity from Nigeria’s largest city to and through Dubai.

The service was operated with a Boeing 777-300ER.

Upon landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, flight number EK 783 was welcomed with a water cannon salute.

Speaking on the development, President of the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN), Kingsley Nwokoma said he was happy that the Emirates flight has landed after over two years of suspension of operations in Nigeria,” Nwokoma said.

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Space Development, who led a high-level Nigerian delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday, concluded negotiations ahead of the resumption of Emirates Airlines flight operations to Nigeria.

The meeting, which took place on Friday morning, also laid the foundation for a new Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between the two countries to ensure stronger and mutually beneficial aviation ties.