South Africa has applied for fifth freedom traffic rights from Nigeria and has also requested approval for a second carrier to operate direct flights between Cape Town and Lagos.
According to The Guardian Nigeria, the requests were submitted to Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on the sidelines of the International Civil Aviation Negotiation 2025 Summit in the Dominican Republic.
Keyamo confirmed that South Africa had sought approval for Airlink to operate flights on the Cape Town-Lagos route, alongside SAA.
Additionally, the fifth freedom rights will offer South African airlines the opportunity to carry passengers from Nigeria onwards to other destinations as part of a service that will originate or terminate in South Africa. However, the airlines have not revealed how they plan to use these rights.
