Max Airline has the capacity to evacuate fleeing Nigerians as a result of the war launched on Ukraine by Russia.
This was contained in a statement by Raymond Omodiagbe, Max Air General Manager of Operations, on Friday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports the Federal Government contracted Air Peace and Max Air to carry out the evacuation of Nigerians in the war ravaged zone.
NAN reports that Max Air is to evacuate 560 Nigerians from Romania, while Air Peace would convey 360 from Poland and Hungary.
The statement by Omodiagbe said: “One of the Max Air Boeing 747-400 arrived Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Friday morning with the first batch of 416 passengers who were affected by ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Max Air signed agreement with the Federal government to evacuate stranded students and other people affected by the war.
“Max Air deployed one of its Boeing 747–400 which left Nigeria yesterday evening to Romania where the stranded people were gathered for onward journey to home.”
NAN reports that Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said President Muhammadu Buhari has approved funds for the airlines to evacuate Nigerians.
He said there were about 8,000 Nigerians in Ukraine, 5,000 of whom were students, adding that the Federal Government had tipped Air Peace and Air Max to airlift the Nigerians who wanted to be evacuated.
Onyeama, while briefing the House of Representatives on the evacuation efforts, stated: “We made Romania the hub and over 1,000 Nigerians have crossed there.
“Poland has about 250, Budapest in Hungary has a similar number, Slovakia is rising rapidly.
“It is also around 200.
“There are some Nigerians in a place called Sumy, close to the Russian border.”
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