Nigeria, March 15 -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the top global trade association of airlines, has appealed to the Nigerian government to allow international airlines repatriate their funds trapped in the country.

The association said the amount airlines have been unable to repatriate from the country rose to $743.7 million in January from $662 million it stood last December.

IATA raised the concerns on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, in Abuja.

In his remarks, IATA Area Manager, West and Central Africa, Samson Fatokun, who led the team hinted that Nigeria has been the country with the highest amount of airline blocked funds in the world for over a year. He also warned that ...