Tyler Ayodeji
Continental Airline has finally abandoned its proposed direct flight to Lagos, Nigeria and is planning to fly to Beijing, China and Delhi, India, according to airline officials.

"We have not pursued this (Nigeria plan) further since the indefinite suspension early in the year. We have been working on other new routes like our new flights from Newark to Beijing and Delhi," said Martin DeLeon, Continenal Airline spokesperson.

A special assistant to Nigeria's aviation minister, Sam Adurogboye, blamed the airline and the US government for the suspension by deliberately ignoring a letter of inspection and auditing sent to FAA and Continental Airline, a pre-requisite for issuing the required license to operate in Nigeria.

Adurogboye wondered why Virgin Nigeria with 49 percent British ownership and 51 percent Nigerian interest would be turned down by America to operate in the country.

Without elaborating, Julie King, another spokesperson for the Houston based Continental Airline said the service between Newark and Lagos has been suspended indefinitely due to circumstances beyond the airline's control.

Continental Airline was scheduled to begin a daily flight from July between Lagos and Newark Liberty International Airport outside New York before it was suspended in April because of the 49 percent interest of England based Virgin North Atlantic.

Britain and US have bilateral agreement on the number of airlines from both countries that could land yearly, and the 49 percent interest of Virgin Atlantic would alter the number in favor of England which allegedly forced US to refuse landing rights to Virgin Nigeria.

But Adurogboye explained that the imbroglio has nothing to do with Virgin Atlantic. "It is none of American business to tell us the kind of business we do or who we do business with. If they have problem with Britain, that is their problem. They cannot dictate to us whom we want to have partnership with," he said angrily.

The Nigerian special assistant said plans for Virgin Nigeria to ply the US routes is not on the table but stated that plans are underway to explore the possibilities.

The Continental spokesperson hinted that the sixth US airlines may have eventually abandoned a flight to Nigeria in preference to China and India."We have not pursued this further since April," Julie King said.

It will be recalled that American Trans Air (ATA) is yet to return to the Nigeria route since 1994 after US severed flight relations with Nigeria following the annulment of Nigeria's presidential election won by late Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola in 1993. In 2002, the now defunct Nigeria Airways resumed direct commercial flight between Lagos and New York on a leased aircraft from South African Airways only to stop operations after a short while.

Ritetime /World Airways again operated direct flight from New York, Houston and Dallas for a while before again stopping the operation in December 2003 after abandoning thousands of Nigerians visiting home for the new year festivities.


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