Nigeria’s biggest airline, Air Peace, is preparing to make history by launching its first direct flight from Lagos to São Paulo, Brazil. This flight is expected to begin between the last week of November and early December 2025.
Air Peace’s CEO, Allen Onyema, made the announcement during the signing of a new air agreement between Nigeria and Brazil, which was part of President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Brazil.
Onyema described the agreement, called the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), as a major achievement for the Tinubu administration. He said the deal would help improve long-overdue air travel between Nigeria and Brazil, the biggest economies in Africa and Latin America. He stressed that air travel is very important for boosting the economy.
He explained that both countries are rich in people and natural resources, and better air travel will help them benefit more from each other. He called aviation a “catalyst for development” and said the new flight route will open doors for trade and cultural exchange.
Onyema said the airline aims to start flights around late November or early December this year.
At first, Air Peace will run three flights per week on the Lagos–Rio de Janeiro–São Paulo–Lagos route. They hope to add more flights as demand grows. He also shared that Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, chose Air Peace to operate this route, showing trust in the airline.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, explained the bigger meaning of the agreement. He talked about the history of slavery between Africa and Brazil and said these new agreements aim to rebuild connections in areas like trade, culture, and finance. He said President Tinubu represents all of Africa when he travels abroad.
Idris mentioned recent visits between Nigerian and Brazilian government officials in health, aviation, science, and technology. These visits have helped build stronger ties. He also praised the economic reforms happening in both countries, like changes in their tax systems, which can support better trade and investment.
Idris also announced a special return flight from Brazil to Abuja, which will save travelers around seven hours compared to the usual 24-hour journey. He said the agreement will benefit not only business but also social and cultural ties, especially by helping Nigerians living in Brazil connect more easily with home.
To support this new route, Air Peace has added a fourth Boeing 777-200ER to its fleet. This plane is designed for long-distance flights and better comfort. It will also be used for future flights to Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. The airline’s goal is to make international travel more affordable for Nigerians and offer a strong alternative to expensive foreign airlines.
Onyema praised President Tinubu and Minister Festus Keyamo for creating policies that support Nigerian airlines and help them compete internationally.
This air agreement is part of several other deals signed during President Tinubu’s visit to Brazil. These include cooperation in diplomacy, science and technology, and agriculture. In 2024, trade between Nigeria and Brazil reached around \$2.1 billion, showing the potential for even greater economic growth with improved flight connections.
President Lula of Brazil said that starting direct flights between Nigeria and Brazil is an important step to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. He called it a move towards free trade and deeper cooperation between the world’s two largest Black-majority nations.**13.**Nigerian Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo and Brazil’s Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filhos, signed the air services agreement to boost trade and people-to-people connections. Other agreements signed covered diplomacy, science and technology, and farming.
At the presidential palace in Brasília, more agreements were signed in the presence of both presidents. These included a deal on diplomatic training and an agreement to hold political consultations to address shared global and regional issues.
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Geoffrey Nnaji, and Brazil’s Science Minister, Luciana Santos, signed a deal to cooperate in areas like biotechnology, ocean science, energy, digital transformation, and space research.
The head of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, and Brazil’s economic development bank chief, Aluísio Mercadante, also signed an agreement to support agricultural investment and joint projects.
Currently, Nigeria is Brazil’s 49th largest trade partner. In 2024, trade between them totaled nearly \$2.1 billion. Brazil mainly exported sugar and jams to Nigeria, while Nigeria’s main exports were fertilizers.
