Tanzania, in East Africa, has commenced direct air flights from Dar es Salaam to Lagos, Nigeria, a development that is aimed at bridging the geographical distance and strengthening connectivity, cooperation and shared prosperity between the two nations.
Speaking at the Air Tanzania inauguration at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, United Republic of Tanzania, Professor Godius Kahyarara, said the choice of Nigeria was to open doors for increased investment opportunities and strong people-to-people ties.
Air Tanzania has launched its first-ever direct service from Dar es Salaam to Lagos, Nigeria, connecting East and West Africa in just 4–5 HOURS. The Boeing 737 MAX 9 will operate 3 times weekly (Mon, Wed, Fri). ✈️🇹🇿🇳🇬#AirTanzania #Aviation #DarEsSalaam #Lagos #Nigeria #Tanzania pic.twitter.com/KDIr2YPemR
— Voice of Nigeria (@voiceofnigeria) September 20, 2025
Professor Kahyarara said that the direct flight between the countries is a landmark development because of Nigeria’s position as the biggest economy in Africa.
He said that Nigeria’s great influence in the ECOWAS region gives it the right to be the first country to be considered for the first direct flight from Tanzania.
Professor Kahyarara said that Air Tanzania has been flying to South, East and North Africa, but now with Nigeria, it would be easier to connect within the period of 5 and a half hours instead of the previous 10 hours.
The Permanent Secretary assured Nigerians of the sustainability of their operations with rousing patronage as the market allows, while looking at the expansion of the airlift to other West African countries like Accra, Ghana, and Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. He said they were also considering other destinations within Nigeria.
“There are a lot of opportunities and benefits for Nigeria because of the large market nature of the country, and being the giant of Africa, Nigeria would experience a good turnaround that will contribute to its transformation agenda through the direct flight agreement with Air Tanzania.“
Speaking in the same vein, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Air Tanzania Company Limited, Peter Ulanga, underscored the importance of the direct flight from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Lagos, providing opportunities for Nigerian tourists to visit places of interest like Mount Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and many others.
He said that the Dar es Salaam route offers a cheaper opportunity and alternative for Nigeria to target other parts of the continent and the rest of the world.
Also speaking, the country manager of Air Tanzania, Mohammed Ngamanya, said direct flights between both nations were long overdue, adding that the choice of Nigeria would help to promote education, investment opportunities, tourism and commerce in line with the new African Continental Free Trade Agenda now being implemented.
The Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Mallam Jubrin Baba Ndace, said the direct flight agreement from Tanzania to Nigeria helps to bridge the distance between both countries in air travel, reduces the cost of air transportation and elevates both countries as major aviation hubs within their two geographical regions.
Mallam Ndace described the agreement as a welcome development, which reduces the flight time between both countries to just about five hours, as against the previous ten hours by connection through other routes.
He declared that Voice of Nigeria, in its core mandate, would continue to support, promote and propagate positive narratives of Nigeria and Africa in the presentation of developments on the continent from an African perspective for a more accurate delivery of facts to the world.
The Voice of Nigeria DG said that Nigeria as a nation cannot be ignored, being the largest African economy and population.
He said, “There’s no country in the world that can ignore Nigeria, particularly now that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under his ‘Renewed Hope Agenda,’ is repositioning Nigeria to make the environment conducive for thriving businesses.”
According to him, “As Voice of Nigeria, we remain very committed, intentional and unapologetic to position Nigeria to tell positive narratives about Nigeria and Nigerians, Africa and Africans. This is a win-win for us.
“The reason VON came to be part of this historic moment is the partnership that exists between it and Tanzania Broadcasting Service.”