Minister for Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has written to his British counterpart lodging a formal complaint against the British authorities’ refusal to allow Air Peace to fly to Heathrow Airport.
Air Peace, Nigeria’s national airline, currently flies to the second-class Gatwick airport because the slot system there is outside the jurisdiction of the British authorities.
This could lead to diplomatic rows if the minister moves British Airways to another airport outside Lagos. It could also be a repeat of the confrontation between Nigeria and the UK in 2012 when the Nigerian government threatened to restrict British Airways to other airports outside Lagos because it could not allow Arik to stay at Heathrow due to slot issues.
In a letter dated August 1, 2024 to British Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, Keyamo warned that if Air Peace was not allocated space at London Heathrow Airport, Nigeria would be forced to “in turn” deny British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at Lagos and Abuja airports.
Although Heathrow is the UK’s main airport, Nigerian airline Air Peace currently operates from the second busiest airport, Gatwick.
All efforts by Air Peace to obtain a slot at Heathrow, which is closer to central London, were unsuccessful.
The minister had stated the week before last that the British federal government would write to the United Kingdom to allow Nigerian airlines, particularly Air Peace, to operate flights to Heathrow Airport.
The minister, speaking at a League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) seminar in Lagos, said Nigeria would no longer tolerate the denial of the country’s airlines access to prime airports abroad under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA). Failure to ban Air Peace from operating to Heathrow Airport could result in Nigeria relocating British Airways and other airlines to places like Ilorin, Kano and other remote locations.
He explained that in the absence of a national airline, the government will support local airlines and give them everything they need to survive and thrive. He pointed out: “We should have national airlines, which we are very proud of and which live up to our right of reciprocity and the BASA that we have. But they must ensure that they raise the global standards and make us proud.”
His words: “We are working with Nigerian airlines to ensure that they are supported. We have already written to the UK to provide support to Nigerian airlines, particularly Air Peace Heathrow Airport, which is a first-class airport, just as we have British Airways Lagos, our first-class airport. We could also offer Ilorin as a destination to BA.”
“When we asked about Heathrow Airport, you told us to contact a slot committee. Who does that? Air Peace, I can tell you, is on its way from Gatwick to Heathrow.”
“We will look at many of our agreements that are not in the interest of our airlines. We have to support them in their growth, but they have to show that they are able to comply with many of the agreements. Air France flies to Nigeria and no Nigerian airline flies to Paris. Lufthansa, Delta and many others, but no Nigerian airline flies to Frankfurt or the USA.”
“South African Airline flies to Nigeria and no Nigerian airline reciprocates. Nigerian airlines are restricted and that is why there is a high airline death rate in Nigeria. Over 150 Nigerian airlines have gone extinct in the last 35 years, which is very disheartening.”
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