NIGERIA, CANADA ENHANCE AVIATION PARTNERSHIP WITH CODE-SHARING AGREEMENT

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The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Canadian government have signed a code-sharing agreement aimed at enhancing efficiency in the aviation sector.

Gbenga Saka, Special Adviser on Digital Media to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the agreement on his X page on Friday.

Code-sharing is a common airline industry practice in which two carriers enter an agreement allowing one to sell seats on flights operated by the other.

Under this agreement, airlines from both Nigeria and Canada will be able to sell seats on each other’s flights, fostering improved connectivity and cooperation between the two nations.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement, Keyamo said the agreement would advance the relationship between both countries.

He said, “Today, we advance our relationship one step further as we sign a very important agreement,” the minister said.

“It is not a full Bilateral Air Service Agreement, but one that has to do with codes-haring, and subsequently, we are going to designate airlines on both sides to move this forward.

“An agreement has come into force today and we will have to communicate with our local operators on both sides.

“Many of them have been actually lining up for this initiative. We have actually granted a few operators approval to run that route already and it is just for them to take advantage of this code-sharing agreement to begin operations.”

Keyamo also said the agreement was entered to ignite an aeronautical relationship between both countries.

On his part, high commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Pasquale Salvaggio, said the agreement indicates the people-to-people ties and the growing bilateral and commercial relations between both countries.

“Code sharing is important because it allows for an airline to place their designator codes on a flight operated by another airline and then to sell tickets on that flight, offering passengers a seamless journey on one ticket,” Salvaggio said.

“So, this is one step in making it a more seamless process for the operators and for the passengers.”

On July 23, 2024, the duo began talks over the possibility of connecting both nations through direct flights.

The two nations also discussed potential business collaboration in the aviation sector.