Following years of inactivity, freight flight operations between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are expected to restart, according to Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo.
Keyamo made this announcement on Tuesday with a tweet on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The Minister of Aviation said that, on the fringes of the ongoing Future Aviation Forum (FAF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Monday, he spoke with Saleh Al-Jasser, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, about the restart of cargo aircraft operations.
Read Also: Amid 82% Revenue Loss, Tinubu, Shettima, VIPs To Pay Toll Fees At Airports, Says Keyamo
The statement went on to say that focal individuals were designated to work out the logistics after both parties decided to begin cargo operations between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
Air cargo moves over $6 trillion worth of goods, representing approximately 35% of world trade by value, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
“Yesterday, at the sidelines of the on-going Future Aviation Forum (FAF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I met my counterparts from the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Read Also: FG Committed To Promoting Sustainable Air Travel Through Satellite Technology –Keyamo, Minister Of Aviation
“With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the discussion was about the resumption of cargo flights operations between both countries that had gone comatose over the years. Both sides agreed to resume the operations and appointed focal persons to work out the modalities,” the post read in part.
Keyamo’s post on X noted that he met with Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, Qatar’s Minister of Transport, at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh. They discussed implementing the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) and other mutual interests.
The Aviation Minister has repeatedly emphasized that one of his main focus is to review and ensure compliance with Nigeria’s BASA arrangements, as unfavourable agreements have negatively impacted Nigeria’s aviation sector.
