Nigeria Enjoys Open Skies Agreement Benefit

The second American carrier, United Airlines has launched its flight operations between Lagos Via Accra to Washington DC in fulfillment of the Open Skies agreement Nigeria signed with United States.

The commencement of the flight between United Airlines hub in Washington DC and Lagos is a consolidation of the benefit of the open skies Agreement by Nigeria which comes two years after another America carrier began operations between Lagos and Atlanta, the hub of the carrier.

Under the agreement, the American skies have been liberated through bilateral agreement for carriers of both Nigeria and Nigeria to fly directly into each country without restrictions.

Speaking at the ceremony at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, President Goodluck Jonathan described the development as one of the milestones of the business relationship between the two countries.

Jonathan charged the American carrier to raise the bar in service delivery such that Nigerians could enjoy the benefits of their money on the route.

The president, who was represented by the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, urged the American carrier to provide job opportunities for skilled Nigerians in the aviation and allied sector and noted that it is only when there is reciprocity in the agreement that the Open Skies Agreement would have served its purpose.

The open skies agreement has vastly expanded international passenger and cargo flights to and from the United States, promoting increased travel and trade, enhancing productivity and spurring high quality job opportunities and economic growth.

America’s open skies policy goes hand-in-hand with airline globalizations and allows air carriers unlimited market access to our partners’ markets and right to fly to all intermediate and beyond points.

Open skies agreements provide maximum operational flexibility for airline alliances and the US has achieved Open Skies with over 100 partners from every region of the world and at every level of economic development.

There is increasing competition on the United States route, which is coming on the heels of the latest addition of carriers on the route.

United Airlines started operations last week on the Lagos-Accra-Washington route, coming after Nigeria’s Arik Air and Delta Airlines are slugging it out on the route christened continental America.