KEY POINTS
- Nigeria and Canada signed an expanded air deal in Abuja that clears the way for scheduled direct flights.
- The framework allows up to 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo services for designated carriers from each country.\
- Direct routes could end reliance on connecting flights, aiding the more than 25,000 Nigerians who held Canadian study permits as of March 2026.
Nigeria and Canada have expanded their bilateral air transport framework, opening the way for scheduled direct flights and creating fresh opportunities for passenger and cargo operations between the two countries.
Officials signed the agreement on Thursday in Abuja, and it lets multiple airlines from each side run scheduled services. Moreover, the deal sets capacity at up to 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights for designated carriers from each country. In turn, it aims to lift connectivity while it supports trade, tourism, education, investment and stronger people-to-people ties.
Shift toward direct connectivity
According to the ministry, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, sent the Director of Air Transport Management, Mohammed Ahmed Tijjani, to sign on his behalf. Tijjani signed with Canada’s chief air negotiator for Global Affairs Canada, Shendra Melia, at the Canadian High Commission in Abuja, after a technical review session that examined and then widened the existing framework.
The two countries first negotiated an air transport agreement in 2014, yet that early framework covered only code-sharing rather than direct scheduled flights. Subsequently, they formally signed a marketing-focused deal in March 2025. Now, however, the fresh expansion lets designated airlines fly directly between the two markets. Still, the signing alone will not launch flights, since carriers must first win designation and meet regulatory, operational and commercial requirements.
More options for passengers and cargo
Direct scheduled services could spare travelers the connecting flights they now take through third countries, and therefore make trips between Nigeria and Canada far easier. In addition, the change matters for the many Nigerians who head to Canada for education, business, tourism and family visits, as well as Canadians who travel the other way. As of 31 March 2026, more than 25,000 Nigerians held valid Canadian study permits, according to Federal Government figures.
The deal also widens room for freight, because designated airlines can now run up to 10 weekly all-cargo services under new fifth-freedom rights. Furthermore, those rights let an airline carry traffic between two foreign countries as part of a service that starts or ends at home. Consequently, exporters gain more ways to move goods, and the wider pact fits Nigeria’s broader push to expand international routes and deepen trade with Canada. Meanwhile, because each country can now name several carriers, airlines will also face stronger competition on the route.
