{"id":128844,"date":"2026-08-07T09:03:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=128844"},"modified":"2026-08-07T09:03:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T08:03:57","slug":"nigeria-canada-expand-aviation-ties-with-direct-flight-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigeria-canada-expand-aviation-ties-with-direct-flight-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria, Canada Expand Aviation Ties with Direct Flight Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nigeria and Canada have signed an expanded Air Transport Agreement that will, for the first time, allow direct scheduled passenger and cargo flights between both countries, a development expected to boost trade, tourism, investment and people-to-people ties.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The agreement was signed on Thursday in Abuja by officials of the Federal Government and the Government of Canada during a ceremony at the Canadian High Commission.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking at the event, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, represented by the Director of Air Transport Management, Mohammed Ahmed Tijjani, described the agreement as a major milestone in the aviation partnership between the two countries.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the minister, the expanded pact &#8220;marks a significant milestone in the aviation relationship between Nigeria and Canada&#8221; and is designed to strengthen connectivity, promote tourism, facilitate trade and unlock new opportunities for airlines, businesses and travellers.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the agreement paves the way for direct scheduled flights, which will significantly reduce travel time, improve passenger convenience, lower logistics costs and deepen commercial, educational and cultural exchanges between both nations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under the new arrangement, Nigeria and Canada will each be permitted to designate multiple airlines to operate up to 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The agreement also grants Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights for cargo operations, allowing designated cargo carriers to transport freight between two foreign countries, provided the service originates from or terminates in their home country. The provision is expected to improve the efficiency of international cargo operations and expand market access for airlines.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials said the expanded framework would strengthen bilateral cooperation across several sectors, including education, tourism, commerce and investment, while making travel easier for thousands of Nigerians with family, business and academic interests in Canada.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The agreement is particularly significant given the growing educational relationship between both countries. According to officials, more than 25,000 Nigerians held valid Canadian study permits as of March 31, 2026, making Nigeria one of Canada&#8217;s leading sources of international students. Improved air connectivity is expected to further support student mobility, family reunification and business travel.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The signing followed a technical review of the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) by aviation officials from both countries, culminating in a consensus to expand the framework.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nigeria and Canada first negotiated a BASA in 2014 as a code-share arrangement, which was formally signed in March 2025. The latest agreement represents the first major expansion of that framework, creating the legal basis for direct scheduled passenger and cargo services while broadening opportunities for aviation cooperation, trade and investment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Industry stakeholders believe the agreement could encourage airlines from both countries to commence direct operations, reduce dependence on connecting flights through third countries and strengthen economic relations between Abuja and Ottawa.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lizzy Chirkpi Nigeria and Canada have signed an expanded Air Transport Agreement that will, for the first time, allow direct scheduled passenger and cargo flights between both countries, a&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":128845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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