Canada And Nigeria Expand Air Agreement, Opening Door To Direct Flights

Canada and Nigeria have expanded their air transport agreement to allow direct flights between the two countries for the first time, a move expected to make travel and cargo links easier for Nigerians, Nigerian Canadians and businesses.

The agreement allows Canada and Nigeria to designate multiple airlines for scheduled services. It provides capacity for up to 14 passenger flights and 10 all-cargo flights a week for airlines from each country.

It also gives all-cargo operators fifth-freedom rights, allowing an airline to fly between two foreign countries when the service begins or ends in its home country. The Canadian government said the arrangement is intended to support trade, investment, tourism and stronger links with one of Africa’s largest economies.

Canada said Nigeria was its 38th-largest international air transport market in 2025 and its third-largest bilateral air market in Africa, after Morocco and Algeria. The market has more than doubled over the past decade.

The agreement was announced by Canada’s transport minister on August 6. The government said the earlier Canada-Nigeria agreement, signed in March 2025, was limited to code-share operations and that this is the first expansion since 2014.

Source: Government of Canada