The Minister of State, Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, says Nigeria and the
Republic of Portugal are set to implement the Bilateral Air Services
Agreement (BASA).
Sirika disclosed this while receiving the Portuguese delegation led
by Mrs Theresa Ribeiro, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation of Portugal, in Abuja.
He said the move was part of government efforts towards establishing
and asserting the position of Nigeria as an undisputed leader in air
transportation in Africa.
The minister said that the new BASA would open a new page in the
existing cordial relationship between the two countries, adding that it
would also deepen business relationships between the people of the two
nations.
Sirika said the government had designated Medview and OmniBlu
airlines to service the Abuja-Lisbon and Lagos-Lisbon routes, ahead of
the formalisation of the agreement at the Air Services Negotiation
Conference at Bahamas in December.
He, however, urged the Portuguese authorities to also designate their
own carriers immediately to ensure a seamless implementation of the
agreement.
Responding, Rebeiro told the Minister that the Nigerian airspace was not completely new to Portuguese airlines.
She added that some of the carriers had been closely collaborating
with Nigerian carriers especially during pilgrimage operations, adding
that the airlines to service the routes would be named in due course.
The envoy said Nigeria remained the giant of Africa, no matter the
current challenges and that Portugal was delighted to enter into the
BASA with Nigeria.
She expressed the hope that it would go a long way in cementing the
long and cordial relationship between the two nations, while also
opening new vistas of cooperation.
Meanwhile, the agreement to commence direct air services between
Nigeria and Portugal is expected to be finalised during the forthcoming
ICAO Air Services Negotiation Conference in December.
