Nigeria and Russia have agreed to renegotiate their 59-year-old Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) to establish a new framework that indicates contemporary developments and emerging opportunities in international aviation.

The agreement followed a high-level bilateral meeting between the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev, on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow.

A statement yesterday by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister, Tunde Moshood, said that the two countries agreed to conclude negotiations and sign a new air services agreement in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in April 2027, setting a six-month timeline for the exercise.

The existing BASA, which dates back to 1967, is expected to be replaced with an updated framework designed to strengthen

air transport relations

, improve connectivity and promote greater institutional and commercial cooperation between the aviation sectors of both countries.

To ensure the timely conclusion of the negotiations, the statement hinted that Nigeria and Russia had constituted their respective negotiating teams, which are expected to commence work immediately.

Speaking at the meeting, Keyamo who led the Nigerian delegation in discussions centred on modernising the existing framework and identifying areas where both countries could expand cooperation.

Also, the meeting examined other potential areas of collaboration in aviation and related sectors.

Both delegations expressed their commitment to exploring these opportunities in the coming months, with a view to deepening bilateral relations and identifying mutually beneficial areas of engagement, the statement added.

The Nigerian delegation included the Director-General, Civil Aviation (DGCA), Chris Najomo; the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Dr Danjuma Ismaila and directors from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The statement added: “The proposed agreement is expected to provide a more contemporary legal and operational framework for air services between the two countries, while creating opportunities for enhanced connectivity and closer institutional collaboration.”