By Dickson Omobola

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has said Nigeria will no longer allow foreign airlines to dominate its airspace.

Keyamo, who lamented that airlines from Ethiopia, Egypt and Morocco among others were the major beneficiaries of the passenger traffic in Nigeria, said that would come to an end as soon as local airlines’ capacity was deepened.

A statement from Mr Tunde Moshood, Special Assistant to Media and Communications to Keyamo, said the minister spoke at the International Route Development Conference, with the theme: ‘Network Cargo 2024,’ held in Moscow, Russia.

The statement said President Bola Tinubu was focused on strengthening Nigeria’s domestic aviation sector, ensuring that local operators benefit from the nation’s air traffic.

The statement reads: “Keyamo addressed the global aviation community at the ongoing International Route Development Conference themed Network Cargo 2024 in Moscow, Russia. The conference, focused on enhancing global partnerships through the highest standards of freight forwarding services, attracted transport ministers and industry leaders from across the world, all seeking to establish efficient and competitive cargo routes.

“During his keynote speech, the Aviation Minister emphasised Nigeria’s unique geographical advantage in becoming the central hub for air transportation in Africa. He stated: ‘Nigeria is in the best position to be the real hub of Africa. If you look at the map, we are equidistant to South America across the Atlantic, to Europe, and Asia. We are about six to seven hours from Doha, Dubai, and Brazil. With our population, we have the dream to develop a real hub for Africa.’

“Keyamo further highlighted Nigeria’s untapped aviation potential, citing the significant volume of international traffic originating from the country. However, much of this traffic is currently serviced by foreign airlines. He remarked: ‘If you look at it, most of the flights originating from Nigeria are not indigenous. Airlines from Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco and other countries feed on our traffic. They know that Nigerians travel all over the world.’

“To address this imbalance, the Minister expressed the Nigerian government’s commitment to increasing the capacity of local airlines. He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is focused on strengthening Nigeria’s domestic aviation sector, ensuring that local operators benefit from the nation’s air traffic. He said: ‘Instead of giving up our traffic and airspace to other people, we are focused on ramping up the capacity of our local airlines. That is a major priority of the Tinubu administration.’

“In line with the theme of the Network Cargo 2024 conference, the Minister announced Nigeria’s plans to expand its international routes, with a particular focus on establishing direct connections to South America, specifically Brazil. He added: ‘It is ironic that to fly to Brazil from Nigeria, one has to first travel east to Addis Ababa or go to Angola before heading west. We are working to open up direct routes from Nigeria to South America, addressing this gap in our aviation connectivity.’

“Furthermore, the Minister elaborated on Nigeria’s recent adoption of the Cape Town Convention’s practice directions, which regulate dry leasing—a common global practice in the aviation industry. By domestically implementing these regulations, Nigeria has provided assurances to the leasing world that aircraft brought into the country will be protected under Nigerian law.”