Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhay Thakur has disclosed that Nigeria is set to enter a partnership deal with India.
The deal which is aimed at enabling direct flights between the two countries will be secured after the Nigerian government and India sign a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).
While addressing some newsmen in Abuja, Thakur said the BASA which was part of pending agreements to be signed between both countries would be signed before the end of January 2019.
The agreement will be signed when Nigeria’s Aviation Minister of State, Hadi Sirika, visits India.
“We look forward to signing an air services agreement between India and Nigeria next week, during the visit of Honourable Minister of State for Aviation to India.
“A look at the air transportation services indicates that there are about four indirect flights between India and Nigeria daily, via Dubai, Ethiopia. So, there is a huge opportunity herein and it is something that needs to be addressed urgently.
“We hope that with the growth of Nigeria’s aviation sector, we would be able to find (Nigerian) partners immediately after the signing of the aviation services agreement.
“Either on their own, or on a co-shared basis to operationalise the agreement and commence direct flights,” Thakur said.
Thakur also said that both countries would conclude negotiations on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement by the end of January and the agreements would boost trade and investment cooperation between them.
What you should know about BASA
A bilateral air service agreement is concluded between two contracting countries and liberalizes commercial civil aviation services between those countries. The bilateral air services agreements allow the designated airlines of those countries to operate commercial flights that cover the transport of passengers and cargoes between these two countries. Also they normally regulate frequency and capacity of air services between countries, pricing and other commercial aspects.
