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Reports have circulated in the media regarding the protest
letter from Keyamo to his UK counterpart, addressing the refusal of the UK
airport authority to permit Air Peace to land at Heathrow.
In a letter dated August 1, 2024, directed to Louise Haigh,
the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Keyamo cautioned that failure to
allocate landing rights for Air Peace at London Heathrow would compel Nigeria
to "reciprocate" by restricting landing slots for British Airways and
Virgin Atlantic at airports in Lagos and Abuja.
While Heathrow serves as the primary airport in the UK, Air
Peace is currently operating from Gatwick Airport, which is considered a
secondary airport.
Heathrow can be likened to Nigeria's Murtala Muhammed
Airport, while Gatwick is comparable to Enugu International Airport. Air
Peace's attempts to secure a landing slot at Heathrow, which is more centrally
located in London, have not been successful.
Additionally, both Nigeria and the United Kingdom are
signatories to a bilateral aviation safety agreement, which facilitates the
sharing of Civil Aviation Certifications between the two nations.
This agreement, known as the Bilateral Aviation Safety
Agreement (BASA), outlines the responsibilities and cooperation methods between
the authorities to minimize redundant evaluations and streamline the
certification process for aeronautical products.
Consequently, a BASA promotes trade in aircraft and related
products while maintaining high standards of aviation safety.
This agreement permits airport managers to extend equal
landing rights to aircraft from member nations operating within their
jurisdiction.
However, some industry stakeholders believe that the
Nigeria-UK BASA agreement favors designated city destinations over specific
airports.
They pointed out that Heathrow cannot be explicitly
referenced in the agreement, as it is beyond the scope of the Department of
Transport and due to the UK government's non-involvement in airport slot
allocations. Stakeholders recommended that Air Peace tackle the issue on its
own without escalating it further.
Additionally, the diplomatic tensions between the two
nations intensified when Airport Coordination Limited, the independent body
overseeing slot allocations in the UK, revealed that Air Peace had missed two
crucial deadlines for landing slot requests.
The airline reportedly did not submit its applications in
time for the Northern Summer 2024 and Northern Winter 2024 scheduling periods.
These missed deadlines, as reported by the slot allocator,
have complicated the situation further, raising serious doubts about the
airline's prospects of establishing operations at one of the busiest airports
globally.
A senior official from the airline, who requested anonymity
due to the sensitive nature of the issue, expressed dissatisfaction with the UK
authority's refusal to permit Air Peace aircraft to land at Heathrow.
He emphasized that the airline had conducted thorough due
diligence to secure a slot, yet the authorities claimed that the demand was too
high.
He remarked, "Initially, they stated there were no
available slots due to congestion, only for us to later learn that they alleged
we did not apply for two seasons."
“Just like I said earlier, we have done due diligence and we
will continue to do what is right. We pray that God backs the minister to help
us get the desired slots from them.”
Despite the firm position of UK aviation authorities, the
Nigerian government has permitted UK flag carriers to operate at the country's
primary airports. In light of this development, Keyamo expressed his concerns
in an official letter.
This diplomatic communication, which was subsequently leaked
to the press, highlights the ongoing issue of "persistent denial of
slots" by the UK slot office to Air Peace, preventing the airline from
servicing the Nigeria-London route to its desired destination, Heathrow, since
it began operations in the UK in March 2024.
“The airline had made consistent efforts in the past to fly
into Heathrow Airport from Lagos but was denied, and only approved to fly into
Gatwick Airport from Lagos.
“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.”
He pointed out to the UK that both British Airways and
Virgin Atlantic were successfully operating in Nigeria's main airports located
in Lagos and Abuja without any obstacles.
British Airways has been serving Lagos since 1936.
“Therefore, it is necessary for Nigerian designated carriers
to enjoy similar reciprocity that British carriers are enjoying. 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 betrayed by the British
authorities for not reciprocating the good gesture of the Nigerian State and
its people,” Keyamo wrote.
The minister instructed the UK airport authority to refrain
from using the slot allocation issue as an excuse to overlook the existence of
a bilateral Air Services Agreement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom,
which is fundamentally grounded in the principle of reciprocity.
In light of the minister's warning, a junior employee of Air
Peace, who requested anonymity due to their lack of authority to represent the
company, shared insights with our correspondent, “Obviously, the management is
concerned by this development between the UK and Nigerian governments, but we
are only taking solace in the possibility that the matter may be resolved
before the deadline given.”
Additionally, when approached for comment, Adetutu Otuyalu,
British Airways’ Regional Country Manager for Nigeria and Ghana, who had been
engaging in conversation with our correspondent, abruptly ceased communication
after the inquiry was made.
Reactions
Dr. Kingsley Nwokoma, the President of the Association of
Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, expressed his support for
Keyamo, asserting that if UK airlines benefit from Nigeria's premier airports,
such advantages should be mutual.
He further emphasized the need for increased diplomatic
efforts to address the issue.
His words, “If they are enjoying our best airport, since we
do not have a national carrier, our current national flag carrier should be
allowed to fly to their own best airports too.
“This is not rocket science. Both Nigeria and the UK are
parties to BASA. So, why shouldn’t our flag carrier be allowed to land at their
best airport?
“This once happened between Air Peace and the UAE and the
Nigerian government sat with them and things were resolved so, I want to advise
that the same tactics be employed to resolve this matter.”
Captain John Okakpu, a commercial pilot with more than 30
years of experience, praised the minister's choice to restrict landing access
for both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic until Air Peace is granted landing
rights.
He reminisced about a time when the former military Head of
State, General Sani Abacha, prohibited UK airlines from operating after they
denied the now-defunct Nigeria Airways landing privileges at a UK A-class
airport.
“If they refused to allow Air Peace to land in Heathrow, the
minister should also banish the airlines to maybe Enugu or even Ibadan.
“Abacha stopped them from coming to our country at a time.
They should also feel what we are feeling. Why should they have 21 frequencies
to Nigeria and the less than seven we have, they won’t still allow us to
complete it even as Nigeria’s flag carrier?
At least Arik is not as sophisticated as Air Peace and they go to
Heathrow. What is the meaning of all these?
“Can you imagine what Nigerians go through when their
cargoes get to Gatwick? They always have to transport it to Heathrow after
paying so much for airlifting from their primary destination, which cannot
continue. When passengers are going to the U.S. from Nigeria, they will be
taken to Gatwick and then transported back to Heathrow before getting their
connecting flight to the U.S. So why should Nigerians go through this
unnecessary pain and extra spending?” he quizzed.
Heathrow Airport has recently fallen to 12th place in the
global rankings, down from 8th in 2023, according to a survey conducted by
aviation analyst Cirium.
This analysis, which examined the number of airports served
by each hub from January to June 2024, highlights Heathrow's continued
prominence despite its ranking.
The west London airport remains the busiest in Europe,
accommodating more passengers than its competitors and offering over 4.5
million seats this month, as reported by OAG Aviation.
Last year, it was recognized as the fifth busiest airport in
the world. Its connectivity ranking has significantly improved in recent years;
prior to the pandemic, it was ranked 18th, as noted by the Independent.
In the first half of 2024, Heathrow served 221 destinations,
while London Gatwick, ranked 14th, served 218, trailing Heathrow by two spots
despite handling only half the passenger volume.
Istanbul topped the global list with approximately 309
destinations, primarily operated by Turkish Airlines, which boasts the largest
route network worldwide. Following Istanbul are Frankfurt, Paris Charles de
Gaulle, and Amsterdam Schiphol, with 296, 282, and 270 destinations,
respectively.
The only other European airport in the top 10 is Rome
Fiumicino, ranked 10th with 234 destinations.
Chicago O’Hare leads the non-European airports, serving 270
destinations, closely followed by Dubai International with 269. Dallas-Fort
Worth, Shanghai Pudong, and Atlanta rank seventh, eighth, and ninth,
respectively.