The federal government of Nigeria and the government of Canada have signed a code-sharing agreement aimed at enhancing efficiency in the aviation industry.
The announcement was made by Gbenga Saka, the special adviser on digital media to Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, via his X page on Friday.
Code-sharing is a practice in the airline industry where two airlines enter into an agreement allowing one airline to sell seats on a flight operated by the other.
The agreement signed between the two governments will enable airlines from Canada and Nigeria to sell seats on each other’s flights, facilitating smoother travel and operational efficiency.
Speaking during the signing of the agreement, Keyamo emphasized the importance of the deal in advancing relations between both countries. “Today, we advance our relationship one step further as we sign a very important agreement,” Keyamo stated.
He clarified that while the agreement is not a full Bilateral Air Service Agreement, it focuses on code-sharing, which will pave the way for designating airlines on both sides to facilitate this collaboration.
“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 added.
Keyamo also highlighted that the agreement was designed to foster a stronger aeronautical relationship between the two nations.
Pasquale Salvaggio, the High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, also expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, stating that it highlights the growing bilateral and commercial ties between Canada and Nigeria.
“Code-sharing is important because it allows an airline to place their designator codes on a flight operated by another airline and then sell tickets on that flight, offering passengers a seamless journey on one ticket,” Salvaggio explained. “So, this is one step in making it a more seamless process for the operators and for the passengers.”
The signing of this agreement follows initial talks between the two countries on July 23, 2024, about connecting Nigeria and Canada through direct flights and exploring further business collaboration in the aviation sector.
