Arik waiting Brazilian approvals for direct Sao Paulo connection

The deputy managing director of Nigeria's Arik Air has called on the government of Brazil to speed up the granting of landing slots at Sao Paulo airport as part of a bilateral agreement between Nigeria and Brazil.
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Ado Sanusi who is also head of Arik’s flight operations. of Flight Operations, said Arik is ready to begin operations but said that while Nigeria had given Brazil’s Gol airline everything necessary for it to start operations to Lagos, the Brazilian government was yet to give Arik its landing slot at Sao Paulo airport. “In diplomacy between two countries, reciprocity is the game,” he said.
"Naturally, what they do is that they don't give the other country everything until we also have everything. But indications show that Gol airline has gotten everything from Nigeria and we have not yet got what they have. They have the landing rights, and they said that as far as regulation is concerned they have got all the rights to fly into Nigeria. We have filed in our papers about four months ago to the authorities of Brazil and we are still waiting to hear from them," Sanusi said.
The two governments designated the two airlines to boost economic and social ties between the two countries. Since the collapse of Brazil’s Varig connections between the two countries have been via Europe. Commentators say the direct route will bring economic growth to both countries.