Saudi Arabia has revoked the visas of all 264 passengers transported by Nigeria’s private carrier, Air Peace, as they arrived in Jeddah from Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano on Monday.
The Saudi authorities insisted that Air Peace return the passengers to Nigeria, prompting intervention from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which managed to reduce the number of affected passengers to 177.
The flight, originating from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, via MAKIA in Kano, proceeded smoothly until landing in Saudi Arabia. To everyone’s surprise, the Saudi authorities announced the cancellation of all passengers’ visas, despite the Advanced Passenger Prescreening System (APPS) clearance during check-in in Nigeria.
Speculation arose whether this move was a strategy to discourage Air Peace from continuing operations to the destination. Despite consistently high load factors and a fully booked upcoming flight, the sudden visa cancellations left both passengers and airline personnel bewildered.
The Nigerian embassy in Jeddah intervened, leading to a reduction in the number of passengers to be returned to Nigeria from 264 to 177. Notably, Saudi Air had been operating directly between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, but Air Peace’s entry into the market at more affordable fares had garnered significant patronage.
A source from the Nigerian embassy in Jeddah mentioned that even the Saudi Immigrations personnel were unaware of who initiated the visa cancellations, which occurred while the airline was en route to Jeddah.
“The airline was exonerated in all this,” the source explained, citing the effectiveness of the live Advanced Passenger Prescreening System (APPS) between both countries. Despite the unexpected setback, Air Peace promptly repatriated the 177 affected passengers back to Nigeria.
Industry observers speculated that this incident might be rooted in aero politics, possibly signaling an attempt to compel the Nigerian carrier out of the route, unless government intervention occurs, possibly invoking the principle of reciprocity.