Tinubu Secures Lagos–São Paulo Direct Flight as Nigeria and Brazil Deepen Ties

Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, is set to commence direct flights from Lagos to São Paulo following fresh agreements reached during President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to Brazil.

The development was confirmed at a joint press conference between President Tinubu and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in Brasília.

“Increasing the direct connections between Nigeria and Brazil is another essential step to strengthen the ties between our societies.

We have approved the launch of a direct flight, to be operated by Nigeria’s largest airline company, Air Peace, between Lagos and São Paulo,” President Lula announced.

TIMES OF NIGERIA gathered from Bayo Onanuga’s X handle that the agreement was signed after an expanded two-hour bilateral meeting at the Palácio do Planalto.

Both leaders witnessed the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) across aviation, diplomacy, science, and finance.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filhos, signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement to boost trade and people-to-people exchanges.

In addition, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and her Brazilian counterpart, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, formalised agreements on diplomatic training and political consultations.

Further MoUs were signed in areas including biotechnology, innovation, ocean science, energy, digital transformation, and agricultural financing, underscoring the growing partnership between the two nations.