The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says he has finalized negotiations of a new Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between both countries, ahead of the resumption of Emirates Airlines’ flight operations to Nigeria.
The minister who led a Nigerian delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said the new Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) will ensure stronger and mutually beneficial aviation ties, assuring that Emirates Airlines would begin flight operations in Nigeria on Tuesday, 1 October 2024.
This development follows weeks of diplomatic and technical consultations aimed at restoring direct air travel between Nigeria and the UAE.
Recall that in November 2022, Emirates Airlines suspended flights to Nigeria over an inability to repatriate its $85 million revenue trapped in the country, a development which affected diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.