The simmering tensions between Nigeria and the United Kingdom over Air Peace’s access to Heathrow Airport slots have reached a boiling point, with Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, formally lodging a complaint with the UK government.

The dispute, which has been escalating over several months, centers around what Nigeria perceives as unfair treatment of Nigerian-based airline, Air Peace, in its efforts to secure landing slots at the UK’s primary airport, London Heathrow.

In a letter dated August 1, 2024, and addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Keyamo expressed the Nigerian government’s “displeasure” over the “consistent denial of slot” allocation to Air Peace at Heathrow. He warned that Nigeria might be forced to retaliate by denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic access to the Lagos and Abuja airports if the situation is not resolved.

Background: Air Peace’s Struggles and Onyema’s Allegations

The conflict over airport slots began to intensify earlier this year. In April 2024, Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, publicly raised concerns over what he described as unfair competition tactics employed by foreign airlines, particularly on the Nigeria-UK route.

Onyema accused the UK government of deliberately frustrating Air Peace’s efforts to establish a strong presence in the UK by making it difficult for the airline to secure slots at Heathrow, the more desirable of London’s two major airports.

Onyema has argued that these tactics are designed to protect British carriers from competition, thereby maintaining their dominance on the lucrative Nigeria-UK route. “The UK government is doing everything to frustrate our entry into Heathrow,” Onyema stated. “They know that if we get into Heathrow, we will offer competitive fares and better service, which will challenge the monopoly that foreign airlines currently enjoy.”

Air Peace commenced its UK operations in March 2024 but was forced to operate out of Gatwick Airport, the secondary airport that is less convenient for passengers due to its distance from central London. The airline’s repeated requests for slots at Heathrow have been denied, which has led to increasing frustration within the Nigerian government and among the airline’s management.

Keyamo’s Letter: Nigeria’s Demand for Fair Treatment

In his August 1 letter, Keyamo expressed the Nigerian government’s dissatisfaction with the ongoing situation. He highlighted that while British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been operating from Nigeria’s primary airports in Lagos and Abuja without any restrictions, Air Peace has been consistently denied access to Heathrow.

“The Airline 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,” Keyamo 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 the 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’s letter underlines the principle of reciprocity that underpins the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the UK. He argued that it is “highly unfair” for Nigerian carriers to face such difficulties in securing slots at Heathrow while British carriers enjoy unhindered access to Nigeria’s key airports.

“Therefore, it is necessary for Nigerian designated carriers to enjoy similar reciprocity that British carriers are enjoying,” Keyamo wrote. “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.”

The Threat of Retaliation

In a stern warning, Keyamo indicated that if Air Peace is not allocated a slot at Heathrow by the next International Air Transport Association (IATA) Winter Season, Nigeria may have no choice but to deny British carriers access to its tier-one airports in Lagos and Abuja. He called for “frank discussions” between the two countries to resolve the issue and ensure that Nigerian airlines receive fair treatment.

“Arising from the foregoing, I wish to emphatically state that if Air Peace is not allocated a slot at the 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,” Keyamo wrote.

The minister’s letter has already been received by the UK High Commission in Abuja, but there has been no official response from the British government as of now. The escalating row could have significant implications for air travel between Nigeria and the UK, one of Africa’s busiest air travel corridors. If Nigeria follows through on its threat, it could disrupt the operations of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, leading to a potential diplomatic and commercial standoff between the two countries.

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