Arik Air (W3, Lagos) could resume services to the troubled north-eastern Nigerian town of Maiduguri with effect from September 29, some three months after it was closed. Government closed the airport on Friday, June 27, just as 300 Muslim pilgrims were about to board a MaxAir (Nigeria) (VM, Katsina) charter flight to Jeddah International, Saudi Arabia, forcing two aircraft to depart empty.
With the recent spate of Boko Haram attacks in the area, local media speculates that the reason for the closure is entirely security-related.
In December last year, the airfield was closed just three months after opening to international traffic following a Boko Haram attack on the nearby Nigerian Air Force (NGR, Lagos) air base.
