The Nigerian government has written to its UK counterpart demanding a slot at the Heathrow Airport for its flag carrier airline, Air Peace, which currently flies to Gatwick Airport, seen as a second-tier airport, because of the slot system.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who confirmed the letter, said his ministry had lodged a formal complaint with the British authorities to allow Air Peace to fly to directly to Heathrow Airport.
In the letter addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, the Nigerian authorities warned that if Air Peace was not allocated a space at London Heathrow, Nigeria would be forced to reciprocate same by denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports.
Keyamo also criticized the process by which Air Peace has been directed to approach a slot committee for access to Heathrow, questioning the fairness of such a process.
The Minister emphasized the need for Nigerian airlines to be supported to grow and to be able to reciprocate in various international agreements, noting that while foreign airlines like Air France, Lufthansa, and Delta operate in Nigeria, no Nigerian airline currently flies to Paris, Frankfurt, or the United States.
“We should have flag carriers who will make us proud and service our reciprocal rights under the BASA,” part of the letter reads.
“We have already written to the United Kingdom to grant Nigerian carriers, especially Air Peace, access to Heathrow Airport, just as British Airways has access to Lagos, our tier-one airport. If this is not done, we may as well allocate Ilorin to BA.
“The denial contradicts the dual designation policy that exists between the two countries, which permits at least two carriers from each nation to enjoy equal, unhindered operations into each other’s territories.”
The Minister also accused the British government of deliberately attempting to protect its two flag carriers from competition with the Nigerian airline on the highly lucrative Lagos-London route, an act which he says the Nigerian government views as a significant issue, given the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) that is supposed to ensure mutual and fair access to key airports in both countries.