Nigeria is making significant strides in strengthening its global aviation footprint through a series of Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) aimed at expanding flight connectivity, facilitating passenger convenience, and boosting international cooperation.
In a major move to enhance Middle East connectivity, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amended their existing BASA in February 2025.
The revised agreement now includes enhanced code-sharing provisions, enabling airlines from both countries to operate joint flights and sell tickets across each other’s networks.
The update is expected to stimulate tourism, trade, and investment between the two nations while offering travelers smoother interlining and transfer options.
Just a month later, in March 2025, Nigeria sealed another strategic aviation pact—this time with Canada.
The two countries finalized a Code-sharing Agreement under a newly signed BASA, designed to improve air travel links between West Africa and North America.
Industry stakeholders see this as a key development that could streamline travel and create fresh opportunities for airline partnerships and operational efficiencies.
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Meanwhile, talks between Nigeria and Brazil have reached an advanced stage, with both sides working to activate a long-standing BASA that would establish direct flights between the two countries.
The move follows a bilateral commitment made by President Bola Tinubu and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during a meeting in Addis Ababa in February 2024.
If finalized, the Nigeria-Brazil route would mark a significant milestone, providing a much-needed direct air corridor between Africa and South America—two regions with historically limited direct connectivity despite shared cultural and economic ties.
These aviation agreements signal Nigeria’s broader push to position itself as a regional air travel hub, attract foreign carriers, and deepen diplomatic and commercial ties across continents.