Business
Emirates Reviews One Year Of Premium Economy Flights

In August 2022, Emirates Airlines introduced Emirates Premium Economy product for travellers.
This month Emirates is celebrating this banner first year of full-service operations with the highly popular cabin class, introduced one year ago.
Here are some glimpse of the success story :
- Customers’ preference for the Premium Economy has surged to a record high, with over 160,000 trading up, thereby setting new industry benchmarks in Premium Economy travel.
- Premium Economy product is currently available on flights to 11 cities, with the list growing to 13 cities by the end of the year, as more retrofitted aircraft with refreshed cabins roll into scheduled service.
- Nearly half of customers flying in Emirates Premium Economy are solo travellers venturing off for holidays, while couples and families constitute the other half.
- More than 60 percent of customers who booked to fly in Premium Economy in the last year were also loyal Emirates Skywards members and regular customers of the airline.
- Emirates currently flies its A380s with the latest Premium Economy cabins to London Heathrow, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Singapore, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Houston, San Francisco and Dubai, with flights regularly registering full seat loads in Premium Economy.
- The airline plans to make Premium Economy available to customers flying to/from Mumbai and Bengaluru from 29 October, and additional cities will be announced soon.
- Emirates currently operates 20 aircraft fitted with Premium Economy, 14 of which were retrofitted in-house by the Emirates Engineering team in Dubai over the course of the last nine months.
- Since August 2022, the airline has operated close to 4,500 flights with Premium Economy, traversing more than 36 million kilometres around the globe.
On those flights, over 192,000 meals from its carefully curated menus which include the finest ingredients were served to customers who enjoyed regionally inspired, generously portioned dishes.
Unique touches include indulgent desserts garnished with edible gold leaf, among other signature offerings.
Premium Economy menus are updated every month to ensure a diversity of flavours and dishes, especially for well-travelled customers.
- Over 126,000 pieces of chocolates were served to round off meals for Premium Economy customers.
- Emirates also served 6,700 kilograms of mixed nuts and 8,650 litres of complimentary fresh lemon and mint juices in Premium Economy.
The airline’s robust beverage selection in Premium Economy includes a global exclusive for Emirates customers, Australian sparkling wine, Chandon Vintage Brut 2016, alongside a choice of a unique white and red wine.
The airline’s philosophy to constantly innovate and redefine service excellence through the introduction of Premium Economy has earned it numerous top placings and accolades in the cabin category at the 2023 Skytrax Awards, Business Traveller awards, Airline Ratings Excellence Awards, and 2022 Business Traveller Middle East awards.
In May, Emirates launched a global campaign with Academy Award winning actor and philanthropist Penelope Cruz, which also featured her enjoying the spacious seats in Premium Economy.
The airline has also provided a glimpse of its Premium Economy offering through guided tours of the new cabin class to media and influencers, trade partners, airport, tourism and government officials across cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Singapore, New York JFK and San Francisco.
Future Outlook
The Premium Economy roll-out is a core component of the airline’s multi-billion-dollar retrofit programme which will see the interior upgrade on 67 Emirates A380 cabins, as well as 53 Boeing 777 cabins.
By the end of the programme, over 4,000 Premium Economy seats will be installed, along with over 700 First Class suites and 5,000 Business Class seats refurbished with the latest interiors.
Business
BACITI Advocates Market Shift for Nigerian Exporters
Nigerian agricultural and manufacturing SMEs that have carved out a market in the U.S.now face a price disadvantage.

The Bashir Adeniyi Centre for International Trade and Investment (BACITI) says that Nigerian fertilizers manufacturers and industrial goods had better consider exporting regionally under the AfCFTA .
BACITI also urges the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to help exporters cope with the tariff’s cost through rebates, tax breaks, or low-interest loans to affected exporters.
BACITI , in its Economic Insight April 2025, noted that the U.S. tariff will hit Nigeria’s non-oil export sector hardest.
Said the report: ” Many African countries rely on preferential access to the U.S.market under AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act), which granted duty-free treatment to thousands of African exports.African manufacturers who invested with AGOA preferences in mind are now at risk.
Textiles, leather, and agro-processing exports from countries like Kenya,Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, and Nigeria may now face 10–14%tariffs, rendering the uncompetitive.
This could lead to job losses in export zones and industrial park.
Nigerian agricultural and manufacturing SMEs that have carved out a market in the U.S.now face a price disadvantage.
Niche products like Nigerian cocoa butter, dried fruits, or textiles and apparels which entered the U.S. duty-free will become costlier and uncompetitive.
Fertilizer makes up 2–3% of Nigeria’s exports to the U.S. A 10-14% tariff on fertilizer could lead U.S. buyers to seek cheaper suppliers, thus Nigerian producers might lose that market or have to accept lower net prices.
While crude oil is less likely to be directly impacted by the new tariffs, the broader uncertainty stemming from the ongoing trade war is likely to exert downward pressure on global oil prices, thereby affecting Nigeria’s export revenues and fiscal stability.
Indirect macro impact via oil prices: fallin oil prices due to slow global trade and economic uncertainty.
This would further reduce Nigeria’s export earnings and government revenue. A $10 drop in oil price, for example, costs Nigeria billions in export earnings.
Fiscal and FX pressures: A decline inNigeria’s export earnings would reduce dollar inflows, placing pressure on the naira.
In times of global uncertainty or trade wars, investors often retreat from riskier markets. As a result, Nigeria could face capital outflows, further currency depreciation, and rising inflationary pressure.”
Business
CPPE Spots Flaws in RMRDC Raw Materials Bill, Calling for its Withdrawal
Dr Muda Yusuf, the Director/ CEO of CPPE, said: ” The RMRDC involvement in trade policy matters is an aberration. Besides, the bill has a very weak value proposition.

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has critiqued the Raw Materials Research and Development Council [RMRDC] Bill in the National Assembly, calling for its withdrawal.
The RMRDC Bill proposed by Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, which aims to ensure local processing of at least 30 percent of Nigeria’s raw materials before exportation, has received overwhelming support from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and other stakeholders during the public hearing organized by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, held on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
However, Dr Muda Yusuf, the Director/ CEO of CPPE, said: ” The RMRDC involvement in trade policy matters is an aberration. Besides, the bill has a very weak value proposition.
The CPPE advises the RMRDC to withdraw the bill.
Dr Yusuf urged the National Assembly to encourage the RMRDC to focus on its core mandate of raw materials research to offer the most cost-effective raw materials option for manufacturers.
Dr Yusuf explained that the RMRDC Bill currently before the National Assembly has the prospect of creating significant adverse and unintended consequences for Nigerian exporters and manufacturers.
What study has been done to determine the local processing capacity for each category of primary products currently being exported?
What metrics would be used to determine raw materials that manufacturers would be allowed to import into the country?
What is the effective time frame for implementation?Is it within the mandate of the RMRDC to promote the ban on exports or imports?
The position of the CPPE is that this bill raises more questions than answers.
It is a very simplistic proposition that has not taken into account the critical challenges of manufacturing, processing,, and value addition in the Nigerian economy. “
Business
FG collected N6.9 billion mining fees across Nigeria in Q1 2025 – Dele Alake
Alake disclosed this via his official X page on Monday.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has announced that in Q1 2025, the federal government collected N6,957,826,200 in mining fees across Nigeria.
Alake disclosed this via his official X page on Monday.
“I am pleased to share some exciting developments in the mining sector; in the first quarter of this year, the Federal Government collected an impressive N6,957,826,200 in mining fees and registered 118 new private mineral buying centers,” he stated.
Source: Nairametrics.
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