Nigeria and Russia have agreed to renegotiate their Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), originally signed in 1967, as part of efforts to strengthen aviation relations and expand cooperation in the air transport sector.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agreement was reached during a high-level bilateral meeting between officials of both countries on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, led the Nigerian delegation, which met with Russia’s State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Transport, Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev.
In a statement issued by the ministry on Friday, both countries agreed on a six-month timeline to conclude negotiations and sign a new agreement in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in April 2027.
Keyamo also disclosed the development in a post on his X account, stating that negotiating teams had been established by both countries to facilitate the process.
“We resolved to renegotiate our last Bilateral Air Service Agreement that was made in 1967. We set a timeline of six months to conclude the negotiations and sign a new one in Saint Petersburg in April, 2027,” he said.
According to the ministry, the proposed agreement is expected to modernise the framework governing air transport relations between the two countries and create opportunities for improved connectivity and closer institutional collaboration.
It added that the revised arrangement would reflect contemporary developments and emerging opportunities in international aviation.
The Nigerian delegation included the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo; the Registrar of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Dr Danjuma Adamu Ismaila; and directors from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the NCAA.
Beyond the review of the existing aviation agreement, the meeting also explored other potential areas of cooperation between Nigeria and Russia.
The ministry said both parties expressed their commitment to examining these opportunities in the coming months to deepen bilateral relations and identify areas of shared interest in aviation and related sectors.
The renegotiation marks an effort to update the nearly six-decade-old agreement to reflect changes in the global aviation industry and strengthen air transport cooperation between both countries.
