FG threatens to bar BA, Virgin from Lagos, Abuja airports over Air Peace row

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has written to his British counterpart to lodge a formal complaint over the row involving Air Peace’s flight operations from the United Kingdom.

According to online news medium, The Cable, the minister made the threat in a letter dated August 1, 2024, and addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK Secretary of State for Transport. He warned that if Air Peace is not allocated a space at London Heathrow, Nigeria will be forced to deny British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports in the spirit of reciprocity.

Although Heathrow is the UK’s primary airport, Air Peace, the Nigerian carrier, currently operates from Gatwick Airport, which is the secondary airport.

In the letter, Keyamo expressed the displeasure of the Nigerian government over the consistent denial of a slot by the UK Slot Office to Air Peace on the Nigeria-London route to fly into Heathrow, its first choice, since it began operations in the UK in March 2024.

He said Air Peace 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 from Lagos.

He wrote, “Following the approval granted the airline by the Nigerian government to fly the Abuja-London route, the airline approached the Slot Office for slot allocation at London Heathrow Airport, for flight operations planned to commence in November 2024, during the IATA Winter Season.

“It is highly disheartening that up till this moment, the airline has not received any favourable response from the Slot Office.”

Keyamo reminded the UK that both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are operating into Nigeria’s primary airports in Lagos and Abuja without any hindrance.

“Therefore, it is necessary for Nigerian designated carriers to enjoy similar reciprocity that British carriers are enjoying. It is highly unfair on the side of the British authorities and a discredit to the Nigerian authorities and the Nigerian nation as a whole, for slot allocation to Nigerian carriers to be an issue at all times. We feel totally betrayed by the British authorities for not reciprocating the good gesture of the Nigerian State and its people,” Keyamo wrote.

“The slot allocation issue should not be used as an alibi to deny the existence of a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, whose hallmark is based on the principle of reciprocity. Whatever concessionary arrangements you have with your airports with third parties, the concessionaire(s) should legally inherit your existing obligations (especially those under Bilateral Services Agreements) in respect of the use of those airports.

“Arising from the foregoing, I wish to emphatically state that if Air Peace is not allocated a slot at London Heathrow Airport, it might be difficult for British flag carriers to access Nigeria’s tier-one airports from the next Winter Season unless when a frank discussion is opened with us to break the debacle associated with the slot allocation at Heathrow to the airline and other Nigerian designated airlines.

“While expecting your timely intervention over this pressing issue dear to the hearts of Nigerians, please accept the consideration of my warm regards.”