Responding to the Ethiopian government’s decision to remove Nigerians’ ability to obtain visas upon arrival

Following the news of Ethiopia’s most recent decision to stop issuing visas on arrival to Nigerians, the nation’s aviation industry has been rocked.

Only a week had passed since the federal government announced Ethiopian Airlines as the preferred bidder in the next Nigeria Air auction.

Ethiopian Airlines has previously informed its travel partners in Nigeria of the new policy following the notice of the prohibition on visa on arrival for Nigerians, which became effective on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

Key stakeholders have once more responded negatively to the revised policy, attributing their displeasure to the choice of ET in the Nigeria Air agreement. Many have said that the relationship will be abused by the African carrier to Nigeria’s detriment.

Prior to the most recent news, Nigerians traveling to Ethiopia had the advantage of getting their visas upon arrival; however, with the cancellation, this is no longer an option.

Passengers must get their visa at the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja before traveling, according to the directive sent to its travel partners in Nigeria. Please be aware that the ban does not apply to those who are passing through Addis Abeba overnight. For instance, travelers who layover in Addis Ababa and depart the following day for destinations such as Zanzibar, the Seychelles, Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare, Cape Town, etc. are unaffected by the restriction and do not require transit visas for their journeys.

The collaboration agreement between Ethiopian Airlines and the Nigeria Air project has been called into question by many stakeholders in response to the news.

Nigeria Air became the single-largest shareholder in the upcoming new airline when the government announced ET as the technical partner of Nigeria Air with 49% shares in the project.

The leadership of travel agencies, one of Ethiopian Airlines’ trading partners, had not yet responded as of the time this story was filed since they said they were still analyzing the issue.