Air Peace, Nigeria’s flagship carrier, is set to begin flight operations to London Heathrow Airport, following months of diplomatic engagements between Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK).
Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace
development, confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday on his
official X page.
According to Keyamo, Nigeria had finally secured a Heathrow
slot for the airline under the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) with the
UK.
“My dear compatriots, after many months of diplomatic
exchanges and shuttles, insisting on our reciprocal rights under our Bilateral
Air Services Agreement, we are pleased to announce that Nigeria has finally
secured the coveted Heathrow slot for one of our flag carriers, Air Peace,”
Keyamo said.
The breakthrough comes after the Nigerian government mounted
pressure on UK authorities over what it described as the “consistent denial” of
slots at Heathrow to Air Peace, despite repeated requests.
In a letter dated August 1, 2024, addressed to Louise Haigh,
UK secretary of state for transport, Keyamo warned that Nigeria would be left
with no choice but to enforce reciprocal action — including denying British
Airways and Virgin Atlantic access to Lagos and Abuja airports — if Air Peace
continued to be denied Heathrow slots.
The minister had described the situation as “highly
disheartening,” noting that although Air Peace had started its UK operations
from Gatwick Airport in March 2024, Heathrow had always been the airline’s
preferred hub due to its proximity to central London.
“The airline had made consistent efforts in the past to fly
into Heathrow Airport from Lagos, but was denied, and only granted approval to
fly into Gatwick Airport,” Keyamo wrote in the letter seen by TheCable.
He said the matter escalated after the federal government
approved a new Abuja–London route for Air Peace and the airline again
approached the UK slot office for access to Heathrow for its winter operations,
scheduled to commence in November 2024.
In response to Nigeria’s protest, Haigh assured Keyamo that
her department would be open to further discussions, particularly at the
International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) forum held in October 2024.
With Saturday’s announcement, Keyamo confirmed that both
countries have now reached a resolution, paving the way for Air Peace to expand
its international footprint.
He added that the federal government remains committed to
supporting all Nigerian airlines while also ensuring that they uphold global
standards.
“We are committed to offering similar support to all our
local operators, which is one of the focal points of the Renewed Hope Agenda of
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the minister said.
“But we will also hold them to the highest standards in
terms of delivering quality services to the flying public.”
Keyamo did not disclose when Air Peace will commence flights
to London Heathrow Airport.
On March 30, 2024, Air Peace began direct flight operations
from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London.
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