Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has emphasized the Federal Government’s commitment to deepening aviation ties with Canada as the two nations open talks on establishing Nigeria-Canada direct flights .
The Minister offered this assurance to David Sproule, Chargé d’Affaires of the High Commission of Canada to Nigeria, who led a delegation including Deputy High Commissioner Carlos Rojas-Arbulú and Trade Commissioner Funmike Sojinuga on a courtesy visit to his Abuja office.
Ambassador Sproule said during the meeting that a high-level Canadian delegation will visit Nigeria in the first week of August to continue bilateral diplomatic engagements on the proposed Air Services Agreement and related concerns.
The Canadian envoy also suggested the possibility of introducing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) into the larger framework of cooperation between the two nations to aid the simplified processing and removal of Nigerian nationals who are not legally permitted to be in Canada.
According to him, the proposed SOP will streamline communication between the two governments on immigration-related issues and clear what Canada views as one of the final hurdles to securing the required licenses for direct flights between both nations.
Ambassador Sproule also voiced concern that direct flights would inevitably boost passenger traffic, straining existing immigration enforcement and repatriation processes unless both nations establish adequate protocols beforehand.
In response, the Minister expressed enthusiasm for launching direct flights between Nigeria and Canada, noting that Nigerian demand for the route has remained consistently high for years.
Keyamo highlighted that accessible passenger traffic figures clearly demonstrate that a lack of direct flights forces thousands of travelers bound for Canada to transit through Europe or the United States every week.
Backstory…
Efforts to establish direct Nigeria-Canada direct flights have been ongoing for since March 2025, driven by growing trade, investment and people-to-people ties between both countries.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Canadian officials signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), creating a framework for code-sharing as a step toward launching direct commercial flights between the two countries.
The agreement also prompted both countries to resume intensive diplomatic and technical discussions to resolve immigration enforcement issues, security requirements, and standard operating procedures before commercial flight operations begin.
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