Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development says Nigeria and Russia will spend six months negotiating a replacement for their 1967 air services pact, with a signing targeted for April 2027 to update bilateral aviation ties.
The announcement followed a Moscow meeting between Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev, Russia’s State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Transport, on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit. The ministry said both countries formed negotiating teams. Nigeria’s delegation also included Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Director-General Chris Najomo and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Registrar Danjuma Adamu Ismaila.
The ministry said the proposed agreement is intended to bring the framework in line with current developments and opportunities in international aviation. It said the pact could create opportunities for greater connectivity and closer cooperation between the countries’ aviation sectors.
The International Civil Aviation Organization says air services agreements can determine which routes are open and which airlines may serve them. Nigeria’s ministry announced no routes, designated carriers, flight frequencies or dates for new services.
The next stated milestone is a signing targeted for Saint Petersburg in April 2027. The ministry did not give an earlier formal decision date.
