Nigeria, Saudi Arabia agree to resume cargo flight operation
By Innocent Raphael
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume cargo flight operations after a prolonged hiatus.
The announcement was made by Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, via his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday.
Keyamo revealed that he discussed the resumption of cargo flights with Saleh Al-Jasser, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, during the Future Aviation Forum (FAF) in Riyadh on Monday.
According to him, both parties have appointed focal persons to finalize the operational details.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) notes that air cargo handles over $6 trillion worth of goods, representing about 35% of global trade by value, with Nigeria and Saudi Arabia aiming to capture a share of this significant market.
“Yesterday, on the sidelines of the ongoing Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I met my counterparts from Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” Keyamo stated.
“With Saudi Arabia, we discussed resuming cargo flight operations, which had been inactive for years. Both sides agreed to restart operations and appointed focal persons to work out the details,” he added.
Keyamo also met with Qatar’s Minister of Transport, Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, to discuss the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) and other mutual interests.
The Aviation Minister also emphasized reviewing and ensuring compliance with Nigeria’s BASA arrangements, highlighting that unfavorable agreements have previously harmed the nation’s aviation sector.
Recall that positive developments have recently emerged in Nigeria’s aviation relations with the Middle East despite past challenges.
Notably, Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates Airline, announced that the airline would resume services to Nigeria on October 1, 2024.
The resumption of Emirates flights is largely attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s diplomatic efforts during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October 2023.
During the visit, an agreement was reached with the UAE President to lift the visa ban on Nigerians and resume flights between the two countries.
The Emirates had suspended flights to Nigeria in October 2022 due to issues with repatriating trapped funds.
