The long anticipated Emirates Airlines flight into Lagos has landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) after it suspended its operations into the country.

A visit by BusinessDay to MMIA terminal on Tuesday afternoon showed arriving passengers being processed at the old terminal of MMIA.

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

Arriving passengers are currently using the old terminal while departing passengers will be 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 news website of the airline.The airline stated: “Emirates will resume services to Nigeria from October 1, 2024, operating a daily service between Lagos and Dubai, and offering customers more choice and connectivity from Nigeria’s largest city to, and through, Dubai.

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

Upon landing in Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the flight number EK 783 was welcomed by a water canon salute.

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

Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, who led a high-level Nigerian delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday finalised negotiations ahead of the resumption of Emirates Airlines’ flight operations to Nigeria.

The meeting, whichh took place on Friday morning, also set the foundation for a new Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between both nations to ensure stronger and mutually beneficial aviation ties. (BusinessDay: Text, Excluding Headline)