In order for Nigerian airlines to operate on US and other foreign routes, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has stated that they must exhibit increased capacity and consistency as well as achieve the required requirements.

Tunde Moshood, the ministry’s spokeswoman, told the PUNCH over the phone that Nigeria was ready to expand its presence in international aviation. He mentioned that if they proved to be capable and reliable, Nigerian flag carriers Air Peace and Air Contractors might be able to open up routes to the US.

He said, “We already have the BASA (Bilateral Air Service Agreements) in place. It is just for us to have any of our flag carriers that show capacity and consistency.

“If Air Peace and Air Contractors can come to us and say ‘I have a plane to go to the United States’, they can push.

“Qatar and all those airlines that are flying in here (Nigeria), we also have reciprocating BASA to fly. If they can come here, we can also go there. If we can have a national carrier, automatically we will be flying there.”

Recall that Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, declared in May 2024 that measures would be made to lower the cost of international flights and guarantee that local operators would control international routes, beginning with the United States.

He also described the steps being taken to guarantee that, in the not too distant future, local operators will have complete authority over international lines. He added that his ministry was working to remove these obstacles and create an atmosphere that would support the growth of both domestic and foreign airlines under the President Bola Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.