The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, recently made an exciting revelation about the future of Nigerian airlines. He announced that local carriers are gearing up to launch direct flights to the United States and South America, taking inspiration from Air Peace’s successful Nigeria-United Kingdom route. This development marks a significant milestone as it will be the first time Nigeria establishes direct flights to South America.
During an interview with Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, broadcasted on the official YouTube page of the State House of Nigeria, Keyamo elaborated on this major initiative. This announcement follows the recent approval for Air Peace to operate the Lagos-Gatwick route.
Keyamo highlighted that the expansion of local airlines’ routes to the United States and South America forms a crucial part of the federal government’s comprehensive strategy to bolster the competitiveness of Nigerian private airlines on international routes.
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Traditionally, these routes have been dominated by foreign carriers, and this move aims to lower airfare prices for the Nigerian public.
“We have other routes coming up. We are looking at the American route. We are looking at the South American route. They are not even flying to South Africa now. We are working on starting that route to help the Nigerian flying public and reduce prices,”
Keyamo stated.
In his capacity as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Keyamo is diligently ensuring the enforcement of Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) with other nations. He emphasized that local airlines servicing these routes will be presented as flag carriers, essentially representing Nigeria on the international stage, rather than solely operating as private enterprises.
