Air Peace airline Chairman, Allen Onyema has accused British authorities of deliberately delaying clearance for the carrier's operations into London for a staggering seven years.
The revelation, shared during the Air Peace Travel Agency Forum in Abuja, underscores the hurdles Nigerian airlines face in breaking into lucrative international markets dominated by foreign competitors.
Onyema detailed how Air Peace initially secured just three weekly flight slots into London—dwarfed by the 21 frequencies enjoyed by British Airways—despite persistent lobbying that eventually bumped the allocation to four. However, even with these slots in hand, the airline's path was obstructed when it applied for the mandatory Third Country Operator (TCO) authorization, a critical certification required for non-EU carriers to operate in the UK and Europe.
"We were denied for years," Onyema stated, attributing the hold-up to a mix of regulatory foot-dragging and international aviation politics aimed at preserving the status quo.
The Air Peace boss highlighted that the airline had procured Boeing 777 aircraft specifically for the route years ago, only to be stonewalled.
He praised Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo for his pivotal role in advocating for Nigerian carriers globally, crediting the minister's efforts—and those of President Bola Tinubu—with finally turning the tide.
Onyema also extended thanks to British Deputy High Commissioner Tony Baxter for facilitating the final approvals, noting that Air Peace has now undergone rigorous audits by both British and European regulators, positioning it as a fully competitive player.
With the green light secured, Onyema expressed optimism about slashing ticket prices and boosting connectivity. "Air Peace has been audited and certified... We are now capable of reducing prices," he said, urging Nigerians to rally behind homegrown airlines.
"When you sell an Air Peace Abuja-London ticket, you are creating jobs and putting food on people’s tables," he implored travel agents, invoking a call for patriotism amid ongoing economic pressures.
This is not the first time Onyema has aired grievances over the London route. As far back as 2023, he publicly lamented the UK's refusal to honor Air Peace's application, despite British carriers operating freely in Nigeria.
By April 2024, following the airline's eventual Lagos-London debut, Onyema revealed it had taken six-and-a-half years of "cat-and-mouse" negotiations, compounded by internal sabotage from Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which allegedly denied knowledge of Air Peace during European verifications.
He described it as a blend of "dirty international aero politics" and domestic conspiracies under the previous administration.
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