Air Peace, Nigeria’s flagship carrier, is set to begin flight operations to London Heathrow Airport, following months of diplomatic engagements between Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK).
Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday on his official X page.
According to Keyamo, Nigeria had finally secured a Heathrow slot for the airline under the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) with the UK.
“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,” Keyamo said.
The breakthrough comes after the Nigerian government mounted pressure on UK authorities over what it described as the “consistent denial” of slots at Heathrow to Air Peace, despite repeated requests.
In a letter dated August 1, 2024, addressed to Louise Haigh, UK secretary of state for transport, Keyamo warned that Nigeria would be left with no choice but to enforce reciprocal action — including denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic access to Lagos and Abuja airports — if Air Peace continued to be denied Heathrow slots.
The minister had described the situation as “highly disheartening,” noting that although Air Peace had started its UK operations from Gatwick Airport in March 2024, Heathrow had always been the airline’s preferred hub due to its proximity to central London.
“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,” Keyamo wrote in the letter seen by TheCable.
He said the matter escalated after the federal government approved a new Abuja–London route for Air Peace and the airline again approached the UK slot office for access to Heathrow for its winter operations, scheduled to commence in November 2024.
In response to Nigeria’s protest, Haigh assured Keyamo that her department would be open to further discussions, particularly at the International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) forum held in October 2024.
With Saturday’s announcement, Keyamo confirmed that both countries have now reached a resolution, paving the way for Air Peace to expand its international footprint.
He added that the federal government remains committed to supporting all Nigerian airlines while also ensuring that they uphold global standards.
“We are committed to offering similar support to all our local operators, which is one of the focal points of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the minister said.
“But we will also hold them to the highest standards in terms of delivering quality services to the flying public.”
Keyamo did not disclose when Air Peace will commence flights to London Heathrow Airport.
On March 30, 2024, Air Peace began direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London. (The Cable)
