Key Points

• The shutdown impact on Lagos flights raises traveler concerns.

• United clarifies the shutdown impact on Lagos flights after speculation.

• Regulators assess the shutdown impact on Lagos flights this week.

United Airlines has tried to clear up any worries passengers may have about the ongoing shutdown of the US federal government and how it might affect the airline’s Lagos–Washington Dulles service.

The airline said that even though the shutdown has slowed down operations at some US aviation agencies, its Lagos flights are still running as planned.

Travellers are worried about how the shutdown will affect Lagos flights

The clarification came after Nigerian travellers became more worried after online rumours said that United might stop flying because of a lack of staff at important US security and aviation agencies.
Nicole Carriere, United’s spokesperson for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said the airline has not changed its schedule and is still flying its regular Lagos route.
Carriere also said that United is keeping an eye on the shutdown’s effects, but they don’t expect any problems right away.

Regulators look into how the shutdown affects flights to and from Lagos

The US Department of Transportation says that the shutdown has made it harder to process international route filings and travel-security paperwork because there aren’t as many people available.
Mark Hetfield, a senior adviser at the DOT, said that routes with a lot of diplomatic and economic importance, like Nigeria, usually get prioritised technical support even when agencies don’t have a lot of staff.
Captain Chris Najomo, the Acting Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said that United Airlines has not told the NCAA about any changes to its operations.

Shutdown affects flights to Lagos because of federal delays

The shutdown has made staffing problems at the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration, both of which are important for international airlines, even worse.
Dr. Alex Nwuba, an aviation expert and former CEO of CAP Plc, said that long shutdowns could cause delays in getting new crew authorisations, aircraft paperwork and security clearances between agencies.
Nwuba said that United’s Lagos route is still very important because there is a lot of diplomatic traffic, corporate travel demand, and a large Nigerian diaspora market in the US capital region.
Ikechi Uko, an aviation development consultant, said that airlines that want to fly long distances depend a lot on predictable regulatory processing. He warned that long shutdowns “stress the system” and often make carriers change their schedules or capacity.

The Lagos–Washington service, which started up again late last year, has quickly become very popular with business travellers, oil and gas executives, government delegations and transit passengers who are going to North American cities.
United says it plans to keep the route as planned and tells passengers to trust official updates instead of what they see on social media.

Right now, analysts and regulators agree that the situation is still under control. But aviation authorities say that if the shutdown goes on, it could have bigger effects on international travel because federal agencies are having trouble meeting basic operational needs.