Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has formally protested to the UK aviation authorities over the refusal to grant Air Peace landing slots at Heathrow Airport.
In a letter dated August 1, 2024, Keyamo expressed Nigeria’s dissatisfaction with the consistent denial of access to Heathrow, despite Air Peace’s attempts to secure landing rights.
He warned that if the issue remained unresolved, Nigeria might reciprocate by limiting landing slots for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic at Lagos and Abuja airports.
Air Peace currently operates out of Gatwick Airport, but its attempts to access Heathrow, the UK’s primary airport, have been unsuccessful.
Industry stakeholders have pointed out that the UK government doesn’t directly handle slot allocations, which are managed by Airport Coordination Limited (ACL). ACL cited that Air Peace missed critical deadlines for slot applications in two scheduling seasons.
Despite the missed deadlines, Nigerian officials argue that UK carriers enjoy unrestricted access to Nigeria’s primary airports and that Air Peace should be granted reciprocal treatment. The dispute has raised concerns about broader diplomatic relations between the two countries, with calls for a resolution before further escalation.
Key industry voices, including the President of the Association of Foreign Airlines in Nigeria, have supported Keyamo’s stance, emphasizing the need for diplomatic negotiations to ensure fair treatment for Nigerian carriers in line with the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the two nations.
As the situation unfolds, many are hopeful that dialogue will resolve the matter and allow Air Peace to establish a stronger presence at Heathrow, mirroring the UK airlines’ privileges in Nigeria.