Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has officially complained in writing to his British counterpart about the British authorities’ denial of Air Peace’s request to use Heathrow Airport.
Due to the slot system, Air Peace, the flag carrier of Nigeria, presently operates flights to Gatwick, a secondary airport. Keyamo threatened to “reciprocate” by denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports if Air Peace was not given a space at London Heathrow in a letter dated August 1, 2024, addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK secretary of state for transportation.
The Nigerian airline Air Peace now operates out of Gatwick Airport, the secondary airport in the United Kingdom, despite Heathrow being the principal airport. Air Peace has not been successful in obtaining a slot at Heathrow, which is closer to the center of London. A few weeks prior, the Minister had declared that the Federal Government would write to the United Kingdom to request permission to operate Nigerian carriers, specifically Air Peace, out of Heathrow Airport. In accordance with the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), the Minister stated at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) seminar in Lagos that Nigeria would no longer tolerate a situation in which its airlines are denied access to tier-one airports abroad.
It is being reported that Air Peace has now extended its passenger connections offer to London from Abuja, Asaba, Benin, Enugu, Owerri, Warri, and Port Harcourt, following the success of its Lagos-London service. This means that travelers from the states on the list can seamlessly travel to Lagos, where they can connect with Air Peace to reach London, and their bags will arrive at Gatwick airport. Following the announcement, Nigerians expressed enthusiasm, saying that if the service is seamless, Air Peace will have an advantage over other carriers on the route.
Source: Legit NG
