Virgin Atlantic is in talks to sell its 49 per cent stake in Virgin Nigeria, which it set up in 2005, following an increasingly acrimonious dispute with the Nigerian government over the location of the loss-making west African carrier’s domestic operations.

Sir Richard Branson, president of the UK longhaul carrier, on Tuesday accused the authorities of using “Mafioso-style” tactics to force Virgin Nigeria to move services from the international terminal in Lagos, the commercial capital.