Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has agreed with officials of the Lufthansa Group to begin work on reviewing and updating the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Germany.
The decision followed a meeting held in the minister’s office in Abuja on Thursday. The Lufthansa delegation included Alexandra Dietzen-Zill, Senior Manager, Aeropolitical Relations and Traffic Rights, and Walid Mahmud, Sales Executive at Lufthansa Technik Aero Alzey.
Discussions centred on strengthening aviation relations between Nigeria and Germany, reviewing the existing BASA signed in 2010, and the German group’s plans to expand its operations in Nigeria.
Keyamo said both sides agreed that the agreement is due for ratification and updating to reflect current realities in the aviation relationship between the two countries. “We worked out the modalities to immediately begin work on it,” he stated.
Dietzen-Zill noted that the German Ministry of Transport is currently reviewing the BASA with a view to its revision and eventual ratification. She also informed the minister of plans by the Lufthansa Group to introduce Eurowings, another of its carriers, into the Nigerian market next year. The airline is expected to operate Boeing 737-series aircraft, further expanding air connectivity between Nigeria and Germany.
Keyamo welcomed the delegation and expressed appreciation for Lufthansa’s longstanding presence and operations in Nigeria. He described the engagement as part of efforts to deepen bilateral aviation ties and create an enabling environment for increased operations by German aviation interests.
The meeting forms part of ongoing reforms aimed at improving international air connectivity and modernising Nigeria’s aviation framework.
