FG Secures Heathrow Slot For Air Peace After Diplomatic Showdown

After months of diplomatic negotiations and firm insistence on equal treatment under international aviation agreements, Nigeria has secured a significant breakthrough in its air transport relations with the United Kingdom.

The country’s flagship carrier, Air Peace, has been granted a landing slot at London Heathrow Airport, a move hailed as a major victory for national pride and commercial aviation.

This development follows persistent efforts by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who invoked the principle of reciprocity under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).

The minister disclosed the development in a post on his X account, seen by THE WHISTLER.

Keyamo said, “My dear compatriots, after many months of diplomatic exchanges and shuttles, insisting on our reciprocal rights under our Bilateral Air Services Agreement, we are pleased to announce that Nigeria has finally secured the coveted Heathrow slot for one of our flag carriers, @flyairpeace.

“We are committed to offering similar support to all our local operators, which is one of the focal points of the Renewed Hope Agenda of @officialABAT.

“We are also committed to ensuring that whilst we support their businesses to grow, we hold them to the highest standards in terms of delivering quality services to the flying public.”

On March 30, 2024, Air Peace made an inaugural direct flight from Lagos to London, landing at Gatwick Airport.

But Air Peace was denied a slot at London Heathrow, the UK’s primary airport.

Air Peace made relentless efforts to secure a Heathrow slot to no avail, but it was confined to landing at Gatwick airport.

Consequently, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, threatened to revoke British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at Lagos and Abuja airports if Air Peace was not granted a slot at Heathrow.

In the letter dated September 2024, Keyamo insisted that Nigerian carriers must enjoy the same reciprocity that British carriers enjoy in Nigeria.

“It is essential for Nigerian carriers to enjoy the same reciprocity that British carriers are afforded.

“It is unfair for British authorities to deny Nigerian carriers such slots, which discredits both the Nigerian authorities and the nation as a whole,” Keyamo said in a letter to the UK Transport Secretary.

THE WHISTLER understands that Air Peace will commence its Heathrow flight by October 2025.

“On the international scene, daily flights from Lagos to London are going on, so we’ll start from October, and from then on, we will start Abuja -London flights as the British Authority has granted Air Peace access to Heathrow directly,” the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema confirmed.

FG Secures Heathrow Slot For Air Peace After Diplomatic Showdown is first published on The Whistler Newspaper