Delta Air Lines will be the only major U.S. passenger carrier servicing Africa after United Airlines cancels its flights to Nigeria starting June 30.
United Continental Holdings Inc. sent a note to employees on May 25 which said the daily route from Houston, Texas to Lagos, Nigeria had underachieved for years.
"Repatriation has been a significant issue, as has been the downturn in the energy sector,” United spokesman Jonathan Guerin told Bloomberg.
According to the International Air Transport Association, Nigeria owed airlines, including United, Delta, and American Airlines, about $575 million in air fares as of March 31, even after the Central Bank of Nigeria released funds to pay off part of it.
After the oil-price went down, the reserves of U.S. currency depleted in Nigeria and the government was forced to limit the amount of money moving aboard.
There are five African carriers which operate nonstop flights to the U.S.: South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Nigeria’s Arik Air and Cape Verde’s TACV.
