The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has said that there are emergency plans to take over the Nigerian aviation space from other African counterparts like EgyptAir and Ethiopian Airlines.
The minister also unveiled plans to expand international flights to Brazil.
The minister said this during his keynote speech at the ongoing International Route Development Conference in Moscow, Russia with the theme, ‘Network Cargo 2024.’
Keyamo said Nigeria’s population and geographical position give it the advantage to be the real hub of Africa.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the minister, Mr. Tunde Moshood, the minister noted that airlines from Ethiopia, Morocco and Egypt feed on Nigeria’s air traffic.
Keyamo said, “Geographically, we are 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 to Asia. We are about six to seven hours to Doha, Dubai and Brazil. With our population, we have the dream to develop a real hub for Africa.
“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.”
Keyamo said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cuts across different sectors of the economy which the aviation ministry is a priority area.
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 President Tinubu’s administration.
Keyamo also unveiled Nigeria’s plans to expand its international routes, with a particular focus on establishing direct connections to South America, specifically Brazil.
He added, “The practice direction we signed last week ensures that Nigerian courts protect lessors and financiers, giving them the confidence that their aircraft are safe in Nigeria.
“This move will foster a symbiotic relationship, as we have the traffic and the need for new routes.”