Key points
- Nigeria and Canada have signed an expanded bilateral air transport agreement allowing direct scheduled flights.
- The deal permits multiple airlines from both countries to operate passenger and cargo services.
- Designated airlines will be allowed up to 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights each.
- The agreement is expected to boost trade, tourism, investment and educational exchanges between both countries.
Main story
Nigeria and Canada have signed an expanded bilateral air transport agreement that will, for the first time, allow direct scheduled flights between both countries.
The agreement was signed on Thursday in Abuja by the Director of Air Transport Management at the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mohammed Ahmed Tijjani, and Canada’s Chief Air Negotiator for Global Affairs, Shendra Melia.
Tijjani represented the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, at the signing ceremony.
According to a statement by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, the agreement followed a technical review of the existing bilateral air services framework by officials from both countries.
Under the expanded agreement, Nigeria and Canada can each designate multiple airlines to operate scheduled passenger and cargo services between the two countries.
The framework also provides for 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights for designated airlines from each country.
In addition, both countries agreed to grant Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights for all-cargo operations, allowing designated cargo airlines to transport freight between two foreign countries, provided the service originates from or terminates in the airline’s home country.
The ministry said the agreement would improve air connectivity, reduce travel time, lower logistics costs and strengthen commercial, cultural and people-to-people relations between Nigeria and Canada.
It added that the expanded aviation framework would also support business travel, tourism, educational exchanges, investment and family reunification.
Moshood noted that the Nigeria-Canada Air Transport Agreement was originally negotiated in 2014 as a code-share-only arrangement before it was formally signed in March 2025.
He said the latest agreement represents the first major expansion of the bilateral air services framework since it was negotiated more than a decade ago.
The issues
Direct air connectivity is expected to improve passenger convenience while reducing travel time and operating costs for airlines and businesses. The expanded agreement could also stimulate bilateral trade, tourism, cargo movement and investment by providing greater flexibility for airlines operating between Nigeria and Canada.
What’s being said
“The agreement is expected to improve air connectivity by paving the way for direct flights, reducing travel time, improving passenger convenience, lowering logistics costs, and strengthening commercial and cultural ties between both nations.” – Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development:
“The current agreement represents the first major expansion of the bilateral air services framework since its negotiation over a decade ago.” – Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development:
What’s next
The two countries are expected to designate eligible airlines and complete the regulatory and operational processes required to commence direct scheduled passenger and cargo flights under the expanded agreement.
Bottom line
The expanded air transport agreement marks a significant step towards establishing direct air links between Nigeria and Canada, with the potential to strengthen trade, tourism, investment and bilateral relations.
