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The desire of foreign airlines to access markets beyond Lagos and Abuja and the current disposition of the federal government through Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development on protecting indigenous carriers have seen them enter codeshare and interline agreements with local carriers in Nigeria.

Keyamo had in different meetings said he would do all in his power to see that local carriers are protected and not exploited and any treatment meted on indigenous carriers would be reciprocated including flight frequencies and slots given to foreign airlines.

In a related development, Keyamo threatened to reject the summer schedules of foreign airlines that refuse to patronise local caterers for outboard meals. Airlines sign this schedule quarterly to secure operations in the country.

Alex Nwuba, president, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria/former Chief Executive Officer, Associated Airlines said “foreign airlines are very much interested in the Nigerian market but not the airlines, nor developing local capacity however, they are reading the posture of the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace and understand that partnerships and interline agreements will enhance their access to the market.”

Nwuba said that Nigerian airlines and in particular Nigerian passengers would benefit from interline agreements where they can buy one ticket to a larger global marketplace on one ticket than separately as is now mostly the case.

“For example, if your flight arrives late in Dubai or Istanbul, it will be the responsibility of the connecting airline to rebook you onto a later flight, unlike in the current situation where you are on your own this helps local airlines through partnerships and consumers,” he explained.

In February, Emirates signed an interline agreement with Air Peace, enhancing connectivity for passengers travelling to and from Nigeria. The partnership expands Emirates’ footprint to 13 new cities in Nigeria with single-ticket travel and simplified baggage throughput.
Travellers booked on flights from Dubai to Lagos can access more of Nigeria, with onward connections to Asaba, Akure, Benin City, Calabar, Enugu, Ilorin, Kaduna and Owerri. The interline agreement will also benefit corporate travellers, connecting to additional cities in one of Africa’s major economic hubs, Abuja, Kano, Uyo, Port Harcourt and Warri, further supporting the strong bilateral trade relationship between Nigeria and the UAE.