Chairman/CEO of Air Peace Airlines, Mr. Allen Onyema has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for signing new Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) with the United States, India, Morocco and Rwanda.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, in a tweet had said the President  signed the instrument of ratification for the BASAs on September 30.

“I am glad to announce that Mr President, on behalf of Nigeria, has signed the instruments of ratification of the bilateral air service agreement between Nigeria and USA, India, Morocco as well as Rwanda,” the minister tweeted.

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Onyema, in a statement, yesterday, said the BASAs would be of benefit to local airlines and called on operators to rally support to reciprocate the deals.

“The signing of Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and United States, India and Rwanda by President Mohammadu Buhari is yet another testimony of the commitment of this government to the growth of the domestic aviation industry. This couldn’t have happened at a better time than now that the domestic industry requires all the support to stay afloat. It is most commendable and I promise Mr. President that the gains thereof shall be fully harnessed.

“With this, the President has effectively pushed the ball in the court of domestic airline operators and I want to use this opportunity to call on my colleagues to rally to savour the full benefits of these agreements.  I thank the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika for all the ground work that culminated in the signing of these agreements. His determination to raise the local bar is palpable. I can say for sure that the era of lopsidedness against Nigeria in international aviation is over. What Mr. President has done is a call for local operators to build capacity and remain competitive in the global air space. This shall increase job opportunities and ancillary benefits to the domestic economy. I thank you Mr President for this patriotic master stroke,” Onyema said.