Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, ordered officials on 25 July 2026 to finalise a long-delayed Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with Belgium “within days”, saying the deal is a low-hanging fruit that could be signed before outgoing Belgian Ambassador Pieter Leenknegt leaves Abuja on 5 August. The directive followed a farewell visit by the ambassador, who cited an EU ownership-clause mismatch as the last technical hurdle. A fully ratified BASA would permit Nigerian and Belgian carriers to operate direct services between Lagos or Abuja and Brussels. At present, passengers and cargo shippers must connect via Amsterdam, Paris or Istanbul, adding cost and time. Belgian interests—including Brussels Airlines’ parent Lufthansa Group and Liege Airport’s cargo operators—have lobbied for rights that would strengthen Belgium’s role as a West African gateway for pharmaceuticals and e-commerce parcels. For multinationals, the agreement promises significant mobility and supply-chain benefits. Direct belly-hold capacity would shorten transit times for temperature-sensitive goods moving between EU distribution centres and Nigeria’s booming life-sciences market. Corporate travel managers would gain a non-stop option to Brussels—the de facto EU capital—improving connectivity for executives engaged in EU-Africa trade negotiations and development projects. Keyamo’s ultimatum coincided with Etihad Airways’ announcement that it will resume daily Abu Dhabi–Lagos flights in March 2027, underlining Nigeria’s renewed push to restore international links after years of currency-repatriation disputes. Industry observers say concluding the Belgium BASA quickly could encourage Brussels Airlines to re-enter the Nigerian market or pave the way for Air Peace to launch West Africa–Europe services using its incoming Airbus A350 fleet. If the BASA is signed next month, airlines would still need to secure route authorities, slots and ground-handling contracts—a process that typically takes 6-12 months. Mobility departments should therefore map out provisional travel budgets for a potential Q3 2027 launch of direct Lagos-Brussels operations and watch for ensuing visa-application volume shifts at the Belgian embassy in Abuja.
Source: The Guardian (Nigeria)
