As funds earned by foreign airlines from air ticket sales remain trapped in Nigeria, Nairametrics can confirm that at least one international carrier (Delta Air Lines) has begun selling tickets to passengers in US dollars.
Our correspondent gathered that this was to forestall the continuous growth of its trapped funds in the country. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), foreign airlines’ trapped funds in Nigeria have risen to $550 million as of November 30, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has continued to frown against the sale of air tickets to Nigerian travellers in foreign currency, saying the practice contravenes the country’s policy on air travel.
Creebhills learnt that Delta Air Lines, the sole US carrier flying into Nigeria from its base in Atlanta Georgia, now sells air tickets to air travellers in dollars. This was confirmed to our correspondent by Mr Jummy Echelgruen, the airline’s Sales Director for Africa, the Middle East and India.
Echelgruen, however, insisted that the airline did not flout any known law or policy in Nigeria, noting that it was part of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangements between the US and Nigeria.
Though our correspondent could not verify if any other airline apart from Delta sells air tickets in dollars, it was learnt that the American carrier had been selling tickets in dollars to air travellers in the past six months.
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