The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has held talks with Saudi authorities in Riyadh, seeking a review of existing air service agreements to improve Hajj operations.
At separate meetings with Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, the Nigerian delegation pushed for updates to the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding governing pilgrim airlift.
The discussions also covered slot allocations for Nigerian carriers, the sharing formula for transporting pilgrims between both countries, and measures to enhance operational efficiency for this year’s Hajj.
The minister was accompanied by the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Chris Najomo, alongside senior ministry officials.
Both sides described the talks as productive, with key decisions already communicated to designated airlines for implementation ahead of the Hajj exercise.
