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Aerial journey
Air trades everywhere, planes nowhere: Nigeria Air Services Contract and its Aviation Agreement
Adeyemi Okediran
Nigeria and Brazil are in discussions to sign the Bilateral Aviation Services Agreement (BASA) aimed at launching the much-anticipated direct flights between the two countries. If finalized, Brazil became the seventh country since Nigerian Minister of Aviation and Aviation Development Festus Keamo began negotiating bilateral aviation services on behalf of Nigeria in 2025, becoming the seventh country since taking office in 2023. Jamaica. Such an agreement shows paper progress, but the reality of implementing BASA in Nigeria tells a different story. The bilateral aviation services agreement aims to unlock international routes and expand the opportunities for Nigerian airlines to grow globally. However, most of these contracts have rarely been implemented. The limited success of Nigeria's Basas is associated with a combination of challenges, including low airport infrastructure, high operating costs, bureaucratic hurdles and inconsistent regulatory frameworks. As a result, only about 30% of Nigeria's over 90 Basas are fully operational, with active international flights concentrated in several major cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, primarily connecting to parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Nigeria's Aviation Agreement is a deficit The Aviation Service Contract (BASAS) is an international contract that controls commercial aviation relationships between two countries, allowing passengers and cargo flights to mutual access to each other's airspace. Beyond basic contractual principles, these contracts have a broad impact on international trade, connectivity, and diplomatic cooperation, and rely heavily on equities, interactions and direct flight operations. Nigieria. These agreements allow Nigerian airlines to sell and sell seats for flights run by foreign airlines (via code sharing), allowing passengers to move more seamlessly across multiple airline networks. More importantly, Basas will allow designated Nigerian airlines to drop land rights, pickups and cargo from partner countries, increase the country's aviation sector, increase trade volumes and improve international mobility. Most of these agreements are not publicly available and details only surface when reported in the media. This information gap makes it difficult to assess the number of contracts, which routes are being operated, and how Nigeria is benefiting. For example, according to Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria has BASAs in over 78 countries. However, a 2019 report from Nigeria's Investment Promotion Committee stated that by then the number had risen to 92. The report also noted that in 2018 alone, Nigeria signed new Basas with Algeria, the Congo, China, Qatar and Singapore. Official aviation websites in countries such as Botswana, Malta, the US, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Sweden, and other countries have published contracts with Nigeria, including implementation status. Otherwise, information is scattered across news articles and policy documents. Regional and Multilateral Agreements: Nigeria's wider aviation class is also important to distinguish between bilateral and multilateral aviation services contracts. Both help regulate international air travel, but differ in structure and scope. The bilateral agreement is signed between two countries, and the multilateral agreement involves multiple countries working under the shared regulatory framework. Nigeria is a party to multilateral aviation services agreements with countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Türkiye. The agreement, formed under the D-8 (In Development) block, allows member states to operate flights to each other under a unified framework. This eliminates the need for separate bilateral agreements and encourages cooperation on aviation safety, security and infrastructure development. In addition to bilateral and multilateral agreements with countries outside the continent, Nigeria is also a signatories of the continental-wide aviation initiative, Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). The open ski treaty involves approximately 27 fully committed African Union (AU) members, with more countries expected to participate in the coming years. The initiative aims to liberalize civil aviation across Africa by allowing eligible airlines in signatories to fly between African cities without restrictions. This is expected to reduce airfares, increase flight frequency, boost in African trade, and stimulate tourism and investment across the continent. Nigeria is one of 37 countries that have signed SAATM's strict commitment, reaffirming the support for economic integration and mobility of the AU's broader goals. In addition to projects like the proposed African Passport, SAATM is designed to fundamentally reshape the continent's transport and mobility landscape over the next 50 years. In response to its promise, similar to Nigeria's bilateral aviation services contract, the implementation of the SAATM faces delays due to infrastructure flaws, policy causes and political presence between politics. The reason why the majority of Nigerian aviation agreements remain on paper is that with the rise in aviation services contracts, the Nigerian aviation sector is plagued by a clear implementation deficit. Industry stakeholders have repeatedly raised concerns in the country that cannot travel back and forth between flight operations. Currently, only Nigerian airlines, Airpeace, Arik Air and Medview Airlines operate international or regional routes. In contrast, this imbalance, where more than 20 foreign airlines enjoy unlimited access to Nigerian airspace, undermines the principles of reciprocity that should underpin Basas. This imbalance prompted the Nigerian Minister of Aerospace Development to call for a comprehensive review of existing agreements. Continuous tensions surrounding Nigerian BASA with the UK. British authorities have denied airline access to Heathrow Airport, Nigeria's preferred international hub for global connectivity, despite efforts by Air Peace to operate flights to the UK. After diplomatic involvement, the UK government ultimately gave daily landing slots to air peace at Gatwick Airport, London's secondary airport. The airline's first flight carries 260 passengers using the newly acquired Boeing 777 on March 31, marking the first Nigerian airline since Med-view (a Nigerian airliner that operated both domestic and international flights) left seven years ago. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic combine 21 flights each week to Nigeria (14 and 7 respectively), all operating in Lagos and Abuja. In contrast, Air Peace only operates seven flights a week. Gatwick. Keyamo condemned biased dealings, explaining that British Airways is “disrespectful to Nigeria and its citizens,” particularly given the '88 existence in the country. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic currently operate a total of 21 flights per week to Nigeria, 14 and 7, respectively, using major Nigerian airports in Lagos and Abuja. In contrast, Air Peace operates only seven flights per week to Gatwick. This disproportionate access highlights the structural inequality of Basa and shows a major trend that Nigerian airlines are changing shortly under existing bilateral arrangements. He described unequal implementation as “disrespectful to Nigeria and its citizens.” In particular, considering British Airways has been jumping into Lagos since 1936, the Nigerian air agreement is hampered by flaws in its entirety of systemic infrastructure. A major challenge was the poor condition of controllers and pilot VHF communication systems that affect flight safety and compliance with international standards. For years, many Nigerian navigational facilities have been outdated and inadequate, deterring potential airline partners and limiting operational efficiency. But in a move that reversed this trend, the federal government recently approved 40.04 billion yen for procurement and upgrade of navigation equipment nationwide. The investment was announced by KeyAmo shortly after the office was envisioned and aims to enhance communication, safety and airspace management. Key requirements for attracting and maintaining international aviation operations under existing and future BASAS. Five airports will support international operations, with three Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt handling the majority of long-haul flights. The other 16 federally owned airports operate only domestic routes, recording 8,084 outbound and inbound flights in March 2025, serving 53 airports in 30 countries run by 38 international airlines. In particular, none of these airlines are low-cost carriers. In other words, air travel from Nigeria remains almost affordable for many average-income travelers. Available cabin classes range from economic and premium economy, business and first class, reflecting the advantages of full-service carriers in the Nigerian international aviation market. Nigeria maintains direct aviation links with around 35 countries, including strategic partners such as the UK, UAE, the US and South Africa. However, air access to Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of South Africa is sparse. This makes the disputes with Brazil, Jamaica and Namibia particularly valuable. If completed and implemented, these agreements can unlock new trade corridors, boost tourism and deepen integration into Nigeria's global supply chain. For example, direct links to Jamaica can strengthen diaspora relations, while relations with Namibia could improve access to the South African market.
