International Carriers Temporarily Halt Flights to Nigeria

Repair works at ABV will force international flights to divert to KAD for six weeks. However, three carriers are halting services to Nigeria over security concerns within the Kaduna region.

A trio of international carriers have announced that, as of early next month, they will be temporarily canceling services to Nigeria while repairs are made to the runway at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV). The work to ABV’s ruptured runway, which is due to begin on 8 March, will last for six weeks and will force inbound flights to be diverted to Kaduna Airport (KAD), a facility located approximately 150 miles to the north of the capital.

However, Air France, British Airways (BA) and Lufthansa have said that they are halting flights to the region due to concerns over ongoing unrest within Nigeria’s Kaduna State. This region has seen multiple incidents of kidnapping, terrorism and banditry in recent months. Two German citizens were abducted near Kaduna, the capital of the Nigerian state, earlier this week.

The U.S. Department of State currently warns against all but essential travel to Kaduna State.

Nigerian authorities have insisted that incoming travellers will be transported to Abuja in buses accompanied by security and that the road leading to the capital from Kaduna will be fortified by police roadblocks. These reassurances, however, haven’t done enough to assuage the fears of these airlines, who say that they will not resume flights to the area until the repair works at ABV are completed.

A spokesperson for BA confirmed the carrier’s plans to Telegraph Travel, saying, “We will not be flying to or from Abuja while the airport’s runway is being repaired. All customers affected can move their bookings earlier or later in the year when the airport is open, re-book to our Lagos or Accra services or claim a full refund.”

“We would advise customers to keep checking our website for the latest information if they are due to fly to or from Abuja in the coming months,” the spokesperson added.