Chinedu Eze

Over the years, Nigeria has yearned to have direct flight with Brazil because the South American nation has strong cultural and religious affinity with the country.

There have been feeble efforts made to link the two great nations in the past but previous governments did not exhibit the determination and clout which the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has exhibited.

The federal government did not leave diplomatic gaps, but swiftly signed a very significant diplomatic agreement with the South American nation.

In aviation, the two countries signed new Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), which the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, explained, was aimed at resuming directs flights between the biggest economies on both continents on more liberal terms in order to promote trade, tourism, agriculture, education and commerce.

The Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Tunde Moshood, said a major highlight of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) formalising a direct flight agreement between Nigeria and Brazil.

“The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, alongside Brazil’s Minister of Transport, Silvio Costa Filho, in the presence of both heads of state,” Moshood said.

“The BASA establishes a new framework for direct air connectivity between Nigeria and Brazil, opening fresh avenues for trade, tourism, investment, and people-to-people exchanges.It is expected to foster stronger economic integration, facilitate cultural ties, and enhance diplomatic cooperation between both nations,” he added.

Moshood described the agreement as a strategic milestone that underscores the Tinubu administration’s commitment to expanding Nigeria’s global partnerships and creating enabling environments for commerce and mobility.

In his remarks, the Brazilian President, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva commended the partnership and affirmed Brazil’s willingness to deepen its ties with Nigeria across various sectors, including aviation, agriculture, and infrastructure development.

The actualisation of this agreement will be implemented by Nigeria’s foremost carrier, Air Peace Limited.

Air Peace has received approval to operate direct flights between Lagos and São Paulo. This obviously represents a breakthrough for Nigeria’s aviation industry, an economic lifeline for traders and exporters, and a cultural bridge reconnecting Africa with South America.

The Lagos–São Paulo service will be the first direct air link between Nigeria and South America operated by a Nigerian carrier. In the 1980s and 1990s, Brazilian carrier Varig briefly operated flights to Lagos, while Nigeria Airways—the now-defunct national carrier—maintained limited connections with Latin America. But following the collapse of Nigeria Airways in 2003, such routes disappeared.

Trip between Nigeria and Brazil evokes nostalgia because of the long historical and religious ties between the two countries, especially with South West Nigeria. 

A Brazilian who visited Nigeria recently threw more light on this: “It will interest you all to note that Brazil was colonised by Portugal which forced on us its religion which is Catholicism. Apart from this, the other major religion which we practiced in Brazil is African-traditional belief which emanated and was traced to Ile-Ife. Majority of us are Catholics, but all of us still have our traditional identity. For me, I am an Osun worshipper. And I am in Ile – Ife, the source of the world in State of Osun.” Having a direct flight between the Nigeria and Brazil will further strengthen these ties and Air Peace is poised to make history when it will kick off direct flight to Sao Paulo from Lagos in a schedule commercial service. Air Peace Limited, Nigeria’s foremost airline was launched on October 24, 2014, with a record of seven aircraft comprising three state-of-the-art Dornier 328 and four Boeing 737-500 SP Jets. But the airline rose and grew rapidly

From the outset, Air Peace came determined to make a difference in the provision of flight services, especially on the international routes. Between 2018 and 2019, the carrier acquired one Boeing 777-200ER and two Boeing 777-300 aircraft for its long-haul services, setting a domestic record as the first Nigerian airline to acquire the Boeing 777 and register 

it in the country. The feat also placed Air Peace in a position to hand Nigeria its first type certification on the Boeing 777. 

On July 5, 2019, the carrier successfully launched its inaugural international route to Dubai via Sharjah, marking a significant milestone in its expansion strategy. Since that initial flight, the airline has rapidly broadened its international presence, introducing a range of new destinations. Notable additions to its route network include direct flights Guangzhou-China, London, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Jeddah, and Tel Aviv. This strategic growth reflects the carrier’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and meeting the diverse travel needs of its customers. 

In just five years of its operations, Air Peace grew to become the biggest and preferred airline in Nigeria, lifting more than a third of all passengers in the country in 2018. In line with its business plan to operate flights to certain European destinations, including Frankfurt, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan and North American destinations such as New York and Toronto, the airline has set new record on the West Coast of Africa when it signed an agreement with American plane maker, Boeing, on September 13, 2018, for the delivery of 10 brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. With this achievement, Air Peace made history as the first and only airline in the sub-region to secure a confirmed order for this aircraft type. Following this remarkable achievement, the airline further elevated its fleet expansion efforts on April 3, 2019, when it set a continental record by signing an order for 13 brand-new Embraer E195-E2 jets, along with purchase rights for an additional 17 of the same model. Continuing its momentum, in September 2023, Air Peace signed an order for five new Embraer 175 jets, underscoring its commitment to expanding its modern fleet and enhancing service offerings. 

The massive expansion project has increased the carrier’s fleet of B737-300/500, B777, Embraer 195-E2, Embraer 175 and Embraer 145 jets to a total of 51 aircraft. This initiative is a key part of the airline’s strategy to modernize its fleet, enhancing fuel efficiency, operational efficiency, and customer comfort, while also advancing environmental sustainability as a major step towards going green. As a result, Air Peace now boasts the largest fleet in Nigeria and West Africa. 

What is very providential about Air Peace planned flights to Brazil is that the airline is the first Nigerian carrier to make firm order for Embraer’s new entrant, E195-E2, which it made firm other for 16 and five E175. And five of the E195-E2 has joined the airline’s fleet.

Direct flight between Nigeria and Brazil is long overdue considering the fact that there has been informal relationship Nigeria has with Brazil for years. Brazil exemplified religious tourism to Nigeria because every year many Brazilians come to Nigeria for religious pilgrimage, travelling through many countries and connecting flight to Nigeria. But now, they can fly directly with Air Peace.

On the capability of its international flight service, the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Dr Allen Onyema, told journalists on Wednesday that the airline has successfully operated Lagos-London service, forced international carriers to drop prices on the Nigerian destinations and took over 30 per cent of the market.

“What we have done with London, Air Peace brought down drastically the cost of international travel in this country. When we announced our operation then, within 24 hours, so many airlines lost their passengers. Passengers were cancelling their flights with other airlines because of our price which was lower than what others were charging. One passenger cancelled her flight with another airline and used the money to buy Air Peace tickets for two members of her family; even after losing some money as penalty. And it continued like that. 

“Remember before Air Peace came on board; the business class ticket was hitting N15 to N16 million for just six hours flight. We came with N4 million for business class. Everybody now is struggling to do N6 million. So, it is not about Air Peace; it is about our nation. Even if you don’t want to fly Air Peace, fly the other international airlines. But fly them at the right fare. That is what Air Peace achieved joining the international market,” he said.

It is hoped that Air Peace will replicate the same success on the Lagos-Sao Paolo route.

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