The Nigeria and Canada governments have signed a landmark codesharing agreement to increase efficiency and connectivity in the aviation sector.
Festus Keyamo announced the development on Friday, March 21, and Gbenga Saka, special advisor to the digital media for the Nigerian Minister of Aeronautics and Aerospace Development, confirmed the deal.
The agreement will allow airlines in both countries to sell seats on each other’s flights, a move that promises to improve flight choices and promote commercial ties.
“Today, we signed a very important agreement to develop a step further,” Kamo said at the signing ceremony.
He added: “This is not a complete bilateral aviation service agreement (BASA), but is related to code sharing, and we will then designate airlines from both sides to move this forward.”
Keyamo noted that some airlines have obtained approval to operate on the route and urged them to leverage the new framework.
“A deal was reached today and we will have to communicate with local operators on both sides. Many of them have actually been queuing for this program,” he said.
High Commissioner for Nigeria, Canada, stressed the importance of the deal, saying it reflects the deep connection between the two countries.
“Code sharing is important because it allows an airline to place its specified code on a flight operated by another airline and then sell tickets on that flight, giving passengers a seamless travel of one ticket,” Salvagio said.
The agreement comes months after the two countries could launch direct flights and expand business cooperation in the aviation industry within a few months that began discussions in July 2024.
With this development, passengers traveling between Nigeria and Canada are expected to benefit from more travel options, simplified ticketing and improved flight connectivity.
