Nigeria and Canada have signed an expanded air transport agreement that will, for the first time, enable direct scheduled flights between the two countries, marking a major milestone in bilateral aviation relations.

The agreement was signed on Thursday in Abuja by the Director of Air Transport Management at the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mohammed Ahmed Tijjani, and Canada's Chief Air Negotiator for Global Affairs, Shendra Melia.

Tijjani signed the agreement on behalf of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.

According to a statement issued by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, the deal followed a comprehensive technical review of the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) by aviation officials from both nations.

Under the expanded framework, Nigeria and Canada can now designate multiple airlines to operate scheduled passenger and cargo services between the two countries.

The agreement provides for 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights for designated carriers from each country.

It also grants Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights for cargo operations, allowing designated airlines to transport freight between two foreign countries, provided the journey begins or ends in the airline’s home country.

Moshood said the expanded agreement is expected to transform air connectivity between Nigeria and Canada by facilitating direct flights, cutting travel time, improving passenger convenience, reducing logistics costs and deepening commercial, economic and cultural ties.

He added that the framework would further promote educational exchanges, tourism, business travel, investment opportunities and family reunification between citizens of both countries.

"The Nigeria–Canada Air Transport Agreement was originally negotiated in 2014 as a code-share-only arrangement and formally signed in March 2025," Moshood stated.

He noted that the latest agreement represents the first significant expansion of the bilateral aviation framework since it was negotiated more than a decade ago.

The development comes shortly after the Ministry of Aviation announced that Nigerian and Canadian officials would resume negotiations on August 6 to address the remaining issues that had delayed the commencement of direct flight operations between the two countries.