Nigeria and Canada have signed an important agreement that will make air travel between the two countries easier and more convenient. The deal called a code-sharing agreement, allows airlines from Nigeria and Canada to sell seats on each other’s flights. This means passengers will have more travel options and better connections when flying between the two nations.
What Does This Agreement Mean?
Before this agreement, passengers travelling between Nigeria and Canada often had to take multiple flights with different airlines, buy separate tickets, and sometimes experience delays. Now, with code-sharing, a passenger can book one ticket but fly on different airlines without any trouble.
For example, if a Nigerian airline does not fly directly to a Canadian city, it can partner with a Canadian airline. A traveller can buy a ticket from a Nigerian airline, but part of the journey may be on a Canadian airline plane. This makes travel smoother and gives passengers more choices.
Who Announced the Agreement?
On Friday, March 21, 2025, the Special Adviser on Digital Media to Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Gbenga Saka, announced the deal. The signing ceremony was attended by Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, and the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pasquale Salvaggio.
Keyamo explained that while this is not a full Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), it is an important step toward improving air travel between the two countries. He added that some airlines had already received approval to operate on this route and encouraged them to take advantage of the agreement.
What Canada Says About It
Pasquale Salvaggio, Canada’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, highlighted why this agreement is so beneficial. He explained that code-sharing allows one airline to put its designator code (flight number) on another airline’s flight. This way, passengers can book one ticket, check in once, and have a smoother journey, even if they are flying with different airlines.
Why Is This Agreement Important?
This deal is expected to:
- Increase flight options for travellers between Nigeria and Canada.
- Make booking flights easier with a single ticket covering multiple airlines.
- Improve trade and business relations between the two countries.
- Reduce travel stress by allowing better flight connections. What Happens Next?
The agreement comes after both countries started discussions in July 2024 about launching direct flights and expanding business cooperation in aviation. Now that the deal is signed, airlines from both nations will work together to offer code-sharing flights.
With this new development, passengers travelling between Nigeria and Canada can look forward to more convenient and flexible flight options.
