Nigeria and Canada have signed an expanded bilateral air transport agreement that will, for the first time, allow direct scheduled flights between both countries, marking a major milestone in efforts to strengthen aviation and economic ties.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agreement was signed on Thursday in Abuja following renewed negotiations between officials of both countries.
The agreement was signed by Mohammed Ahmed Tijjani, Director of Air Transport Management at Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, on behalf of Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, and Shendra Melia, Canada’s Chief Air Negotiator for Global Affairs. It followed a technical review of the existing bilateral air services framework between the two nations.
Under the new arrangement, both countries can designate multiple airlines to operate scheduled passenger and cargo services. The agreement provides for up to 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights for airlines from each country.
It also grants Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights for cargo operations, allowing designated cargo carriers to transport freight between foreign countries, provided the journey originates or ends in their home country.
The Federal Government said the expanded aviation pact is expected to improve connectivity between Nigeria and Canada by reducing travel time, making journeys more convenient, lowering logistics costs, and boosting trade, tourism, investment, educational exchanges, business travel, and family reunification.
According to the Ministry of Aviation, the original Nigeria–Canada air transport agreement was negotiated in 2014 as a code-share-only arrangement and formally signed in March 2025.
The latest agreement represents the first major expansion of the bilateral aviation framework in more than a decade and is expected to accelerate the commencement of direct commercial flights between both countries.
