The federal government has been urged to immediately initiate a comprehensive renegotiation of Nigeria’s existing Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) with partner countries to ensure equitable benefits for all parties involved.
Speaking on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at a one-day lecture organised by SAPTCO Communications Ltd., themed “International Aeropolitics & The Survival of Nigerian Carriers: The Survival of Nigerian Carriers on London Routes”, held at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, described current BASA arrangements as “one-sided” and unfavourable to Nigeria.
Demuren lamented that despite having over 90 BASAs, Nigeria has only managed to activate about 30, largely due to limited airline capacity, weak partnerships, poor interlining culture, and inadequate government backing.
“In BASA, both parties must benefit; it should not be one-sided.
The Nigerian government needs to protect the local carriers.
You can’t be wrong supporting your own”, Demuren declared.
He warned that without strong federal support, Nigerian airlines operating on regional and international routes would be “consumed by international aero-politics”.
According to him, Nigeria’s failure to fully reciprocate BASA provisions has allowed foreign airlines to impose discriminatory fares, particularly on the Lagos–Abuja–London corridor. He noted that return fares on the Lagos–London route can climb as high as $5,000, while the same trip from Accra–London sells for about $3,500, attributing the disparity to lack of Nigerian competition.
Demuren proposed specific areas where government support is urgently needed, including aircraft leasing incentives, better access to foreign exchange, and speedy intervention in operational challenges. Beyond government action, he urged Nigerian carriers to strengthen their credibility:
“Nigerian airlines must be creditworthy if they want global partners.
Cooperation, interlining, and strong corporate governance are no longer optional — they are survival tools”.
He added that carriers hoping to thrive internationally must maintain reliability, professional staff conduct, and continuity in operations.
Aero-politics Is Not Neutral — DGCA
Also speaking, Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo, represented by Erelu Oluwabukola Teriba, stated that international aero-politics is never neutral, but dictated by national strategy and influence.
Calling the London route a “global battleground”, Najomo said:
“Only the strong, the prepared and the well-supported can thrive”.
He noted that for years, Nigeria watched foreign airlines dominate routes built on Nigerian passenger traffic—until the recent entry of Air Peace, which he said has begun to shift the balance.
Najomo listed imbalanced agreements, high operating costs, global competition, and structural limitations as factors that have constrained Nigerian carriers, but affirmed regulatory support:
“The success of Nigerian carriers cannot be the task of one agency or one airline.
It requires all of us—government, regulators, diplomats, airport authorities, and stakeholders acting with unity of purpose”.
Government Gives Assurance
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, represented by Obiageli Orah, Director of Special Duties at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said that strengthening domestic airlines remains a top priority for the administration.
He revealed that the ministry has started engaging bilateral partners across the world to maximise BASA opportunities and secure better terms for Nigerian carriers.
“Nigeria will continue to play the aero-politics necessary to ensure our indigenous airlines not only sustain their gains but expand their routes while delivering excellent services”.
Keyamo emphasised that the government is committed to ensuring that Nigerian airlines receive the reciprocity, recognition, and protection they deserve in global aviation.