The Federal Government may be forced to restrict British Airways from Nigeria’s premier airport, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos over a slot issue in the United Kingdom.

The UK slot system has forced Nigeria’s airline Air Peace to fly to Gatwick Airport instead of Heathrow, the UK number one airport.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, disclosed on Friday that the ministry had written to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow Air Peace fly to Heathrow Airport in London in line with the reciprocity principle in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

Daily Trust reports that Air Peace commenced direct flight to the UK Gatwick Airport in March this year after a long battle with the authorities in a bid to get a slot at Heathrow.

However speaking at the 28th Annual Conference of the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos, Keyamo said it was unfair to allow British Airways unfettered access to MMIA, the country’s busiest airport while the same privilege was not accorded to Nigerian airline in UK in line with the BASA.

Keyamo said that the ministry was awaiting a response from the ministry in the UK.

He insisted that countries must abide by the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangement that Nigeria reached with their governments, saying that failure to do this might lead to a reactive action from the Nigerian Government.

He said, “We have already written to the United Kingdom to give Nigerian carriers, especially Air Peace Heathrow Airport, which is a tier one airport, just as we have British Airways, using our Lagos airport. We may as well give BA Ilorin to operate to. When we asked for Heathrow Airport, you’re telling us to go to a slot committee. Who does that? Air Peace I can tell you is on its way to Heathrow away from Gatwick.

“The local operators are struggling to cover their routes locally, not to talk of our international routes; Air France is coming here 10 times a week, we are not going to Paris, Lufthansa is coming here, we are not going to Frankfurt, Delta and United from America are all coming here, but we are not reciprocating. Even, South African Airways is coming here, we are not going there.

“We only managed to have Air Peace in London and to Gatwick, but we are pushing for them to take us to Heathrow. You can’t tell us you have a slot committee. Your airport operator should know that you have an existing relationship and they should respect it.

“For connectivity, people prefer Heathrow. That is an airport you can have an airline to codeshare with so that there can be connectivity.”

The minister also invited investors around the world to take advantage of the huge investment opportunities in the aviation industry especially the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility.

He said: “For us, we are looking at various issues; MROs. People are already talking to us, we don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. Very soon we are going to advertise to call for partnership in the project.

“For our banks, financial institutions, financers, and others, don’t say foreigners are coming to take your business, it’s a big business. If we bring them in, we will take all the aircraft in West and Central Africa and even a part of Southern Africa if we can get the MRO into Nigeria.

“The Arabs, Chinese, Europeans and Americans; they all want to invest and they are talking to us. And something about MRO is that you can’t invest it in an independent environment, but an existing airport. You will need a runway for an aircraft to land. So, you need to talk to us to give you land within our international airports.”

MasterJayJay:
Other countries will continue to bully us until the government starts implementing an eye for an eye.

Why even write to uk authorities? They know what they are doing.

CyrusVI:

How do u get to only see the negativity in all news??

Like, I read the same news, found that it's about the reciprocity of allocating slots, which is actually good for our local Airline, especially Air Peace, as was stated in the news


I'm worried for u now

licnsai:
When they will ban air peace totally from UK maybe their eyes will clear.

Our stance on trade and international policies should always be based on reciprocity. E.g. If we need visa to enter your country, you too should require one to come here. Naija dey do well in this regard though

Santalpharay:

You don't seem to understand the game here. Same way it is hard for passengers to connect from Gatwick will be the same way it will be for passengers to connect from Ilorin. The results. Passengers coming from UK will prefer flying other Airlines that land in Lagos instead of flying British Airways that will only land in Ilorin. That means bad market for British airways. That is what Airpeace is already suffering in UK for being only able to land in Gatwick instead of Heathrow

Islie:


https://dailytrust.com/fg-may-restrict-british-airways-from-lagos-airport/

Islie:


https://dailytrust.com/fg-may-restrict-british-airways-from-lagos-airport/

licnsai:
When they will ban air peace totally from UK maybe their eyes will clear.

Hemanwel:
Please, anyone who is close to Reno Omokri should tell him that the imminent peaceful protest is a protest against bad governance. It is a protest against hunger and hardship. It is not a Yoruba versus Igbo protest; neither is it Southwest versus Southeast. It will hold all over the 36 States. His inciteful posts between Yorubas and Igbos is stale! The mofo is not in the country so he doesn't know that the hunger/hardship in the land dey beat both Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and other tribes. He is insensitive to what the common man is going through in the hands of Tinubu's government.

BTW:

How the planned peaceful protest pans out lies in the hands of the government. If they want it peaceful, it will be peaceful. If they unleash thugs on peaceful protesters, it will met with serious resistance.