Recently, the federal government secured a landing slot at much-sought after Heathrow Airport in London for Air Peace following months of diplomatic negotiations.
The slot was secured under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, via his official X (formerly Twitter) stated “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, Air Peace”.
This development comes more than a year after Air Peace officially launched its Lagos–London route via Gatwick Airport on March 30, 2024, having initially sought access to Heathrow.
It would be recalled that Keyamo had argued that since the British carriers – British Airways and Virgin Atlantic – were given Nigeria’s primary airports – the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; the UK Government should also allow Air Peace to fly to Heathrow in line with the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).
Air Peace Chairman, Mr. Allen Onyema, confirmed the airline has concluded plans to commence direct flight operations from Abuja to Heathrow with effect from October 26, 2025.
Commentators have observed that Nigeria, has over the years, not fully maximized its BASA and other related agreements. For example, Nigeria has over 20 foreign airlines operating across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, including Air Maroc, Egypt Airways, Ghana Airways, Rwanda Air etc. Yet, the country has just a few domestic carriers across West-African countries. It is even worse when a review is made outside Africa.
From the scenario painted above, it is obvious that the government must always be deeply involved in supporting airlines to explore more and more routes in order to close the gap between Nigeria and other countries in terms of privileges accruing in these agreements.
