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The Federal Government of Nigeria is considering limiting British Airways’ operations from Nigeria’s busiest airport, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. This potential restriction comes after the UK’s slot allocation system forced Nigerian airline Air Peace to operate from Gatwick Airport instead of Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, disclosed that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has written to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), requesting that Air Peace be granted access to Heathrow Airport. The request aligns with the reciprocity principle in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the UK.
Speaking at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents’ (LAAC) 28th Annual Conference in Lagos, Keyamo emphasized the unfairness of allowing British Airways unrestricted access to MMIA while denying the same privilege to a Nigerian airline in the UK. He warned that noncompliance with BASA terms could lead to retaliatory measures from the Nigerian government.
“We have already written to the United Kingdom to give Nigerian carriers, especially Air Peace, access to Heathrow Airport, just as British Airways uses our Lagos airport. If necessary, we may restrict British Airways to Ilorin instead of Lagos. When we request Heathrow access, we are directed to a slot committee. Who does that? Air Peace is on its way to Heathrow from Gatwick,” said Keyamo.
He continued, “Local operators struggle to cover their routes locally and internationally. While Air France, Lufthansa, Delta, and United Airlines operate multiple flights to Nigeria, we are not reciprocating. We only managed to secure Air Peace’s operations to London Gatwick, but we are pushing for Heathrow. Connectivity is crucial, and Heathrow offers better options for codeshare agreements.”
Keyamo also invited global investors to take advantage of the significant investment opportunities in Nigeria’s aviation sector, particularly in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility.
