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Nigerian investment banker and economist, Atedo Peterside has said that closure of Niger Republic airspace would increase the cost of flights of Nigerians travelling to Europe.
In a post on his social media page, Peterside noted that the case may be worsened if Burkina Faso or Mali join Niger in declining overflight rights to Nigerian-bound aircraft.
He wrote, “Closure of Niger Republic airspace will increase the cost of flights from Nigeria to Europe. If Burkina Faso and/ or Mali join Niger in declining overflight rights to Nigerian-bound aircraft, then inbound and outbound flights from Nigeria to Europe will become very expensive.”
The military junta in Niger Republic over the weekend, closed the country’s airspace, warning that any attempt to violate it would be met with an “energetic and immediate response”. This comes after the deadline given by the West African bloc, ECOWAS for the junta to hand over power back to the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, expired.
Lagos-London fare is 49% higher than Accra-London, 162% higher than Cotonou-London. Moreso, the Nigerian airfare has skyrocketed over the forex shortage.