Moscow, Russia: Nigeria and Russia have agreed to renegotiate their Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), originally established in 1967, as both countries seek to modernise the framework governing air services between them.
The decision was reached during a high-level bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow during October 28–29, 2026, where Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, led the Nigerian delegation in talks with Dmitry Stanislavovich Zverev, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation. The meeting focused on modernising the existing framework and strengthening aviation cooperation between the two countries.
Voice of Nigeria (VON), Nigeria’s federal public broadcaster, reported that the development was announced in a press release issued by Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
A major outcome of the meeting was the decision by Nigeria and Russia to renegotiate the existing BASA, which dates back to 1967, with the aim of establishing a new agreement reflecting contemporary developments and emerging opportunities in international aviation.
Both countries agreed to complete the negotiations within six months and sign the new agreement in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in April 2027. Nigeria and Russia have also constituted their respective negotiating teams, which are expected to begin work immediately.
The proposed agreement is expected to provide an updated framework for bilateral air transport relations, while creating opportunities for enhanced connectivity, closer institutional cooperation and mutually beneficial engagement between the aviation sectors of both countries.
The agreement being reviewed is the bilateral air-services framework dating from January 26, 1967, between Nigeria and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). ICAO’s World’s Air Services Agreements database records the Nigeria-USSR agreement under ICAO registration No. 2522, with January 26, 1967, listed as its date.
The agreement predates the establishment of the Russian Federation in its present form following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Nigerian government and VON refer to the current framework as the Nigeria-Russia BASA dating back to 1967.
After nearly six decades, Nigeria and Russia now intend to replace that framework with a new agreement rather than simply continue relying on the existing 1967 arrangement.
The official Nigerian statement does not disclose specific routes, designated airlines, flight frequencies, traffic rights or capacity provisions that may form part of the new BASA.
Instead, the government has said that the new framework is intended to reflect contemporary developments and emerging opportunities in international aviation. Details of those provisions will therefore have to emerge during the negotiations.
The Nigerian delegation included NCAA Director-General Capt. Chris Najomo, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Registrar Dr Danjuma Adamu Ismaila, and directors from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.
Beyond the BASA review, the two sides also discussed other potential areas of cooperation in aviation and related sectors. Both parties agreed to examine those opportunities in the coming months as part of efforts to deepen bilateral relations and identify areas of shared interest.
The immediate next step is for the two negotiating teams to begin work, with Nigeria and Russia targeting completion of the process and the signing of a new air services agreement in Saint Petersburg in April 2027.
