Chinedu Eze
Nigeria’s leading airline, Air Peace Limited, has received approval from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency, Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC), to fly to São Paulo, the biggest city in South America and the country’s economic nerve center.
The airline disclosed this in a statement signed by its management, stating that the flight would slash travel time from West Africa to seven hours.
Nigeria currently does not have a direct flight to the South American nation.
The Nigerian carrier, which currently operates the highest number of domestic, regional, and international routes, said it would also prepare to provide flight service to Toronto, Canada, New York, US, and China.
“Air Peace has achieved another significant milestone in its transformation into a global carrier, following approval by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to operate scheduled international air services to and from the South American nation.
“The Brazilian approval comes as Air Peace accelerates its international expansion drive. The airline has, since last year, applied to the Canadian and United States authorities for landing permits for scheduled operations into Toronto and New York, respectively, while almost concluding plans to resume its operations into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Guangzhou, in China,” the statement said.
The statement added that the airline has also concluded plans to offer three weekly flights to Manchester in the United Kingdom, while further extending its reach across Africa, Europe, North America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and South America.
Air Peace recently announced the launch of services to Libreville, Gabon; Conakry, Guinea; Bamako, Mali; and Douala, Cameroon, scheduled to commence on August 1, 2026, further strengthening its position as Nigeria’s leading international carrier.
“The Brazilian approval contained in ANAC Ordinance No. 19.449/2026 authorises Air Peace to operate regular passenger, cargo, and mail services between Brazil and destinations within its network, paving the way for direct air connectivity between Nigeria and Brazil by a Nigerian airline.
“The airline’s expanding international network already includes London, United Kingdom; Barbados in the Caribbean; and major West African destinations such as Accra, Ghana; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Dakar, Senegal; Banjul, The Gambia; Monrovia, Liberia; and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire,” the airline also said.
It added that a direct Nigeria-Brazil service would transform travel, trade, and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
“Like the airline’s Barbados route, the Brazil service is expected to reduce travel time from nearly two days, often involving multiple stopovers, to about seven hours on a direct flight, creating fresh opportunities for tourism, investment, business and people-to-people connections.
“Beyond passenger transportation, the authorisation is expected to boost cargo operations and deepen economic cooperation between Nigeria, Brazil, and the wider South American region. Given the longstanding historical, cultural, and commercial ties between the two countries, direct air connectivity has long been regarded as a missing link in bilateral relations,” Air Peace added.