By Louis Iba
United Kingdom carrier, British Airways says it was not considering pulling out of the Nigerian market even in the midsts of the harsh operating environment in the country. Over the weekend, there were the speculation that the UK carrier would follow the steps of Iberia (Spanish carrier) and United Airways (US carrier) in terminating it’s operations in Nigeria following the inability, like most international carriers are experiencing, in repatriating earnings out of Nigeria in recent months as a result of a new CBN foreign exchange policy. Most of the foreign carriers have also relocated offices to Ghana because of the forex policy. “We will continue to operate to Nigeria,” British Airways (BA) said in a statement issued on Sunday. “We have not issued any statements at any time indicating that we are on the verge of terminating operations in the country. Nigeria remains a strategic market for BA and our operations locally are very strong,” the statement added. British Airways has a long history in Nigeria, having begun operations in the country 80 years ago as Imperial Airways. The Lagos – London route over the years has remained one of the most lucrative routes for British Airways and pulling out would have certainly had dire consequences on the overall financials of the company by year ending. In the last four months, the once vibrant Nigerian economy has steadily declined with the resultant effect leading to a decline in air passenger traffic. Most airlines, (foreign and local) are reporting a drop in ticket sales and revenues
