Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, Friday, said the Federal Government may restrict British Airways from operating to the country’s tier-one airports if the United Kingdom does not honour its Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, with Nigeria.
Keyamo also disclosed that the federal government has written to the United Kingdom to allow Nigerian carriers, particularly Air Peace, operate to Heathrow Airport.
He spoke in Lagos at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC, conference, noting that failure to allow Air Peace into Heathrow might lead to Nigeria taking British Airways to Ilorin.
His words: “We are working and collaborating with Nigerian carriers to ensure that they are supported. We have already written to the United Kingdom to give Nigerian carriers, especially Air Peace Heathrow Airport, which is a tier one airport, just as we have British Airways operate to Lagos, our tier one airport. We may as well give BA Ilorin to operate to.
“When we asked for Heathrow Airport, you’re telling us to go to a slot committee. Who does that? I can tell you that Air Peace is on its way to Heathrow away from Gatwick. We will look into so many agreements that we have that are not working in the interest of our airlines.
“We need to support our airlines to grow but they must show capacity to reciprocate many of the agreements. Air France flies to Nigeria and no Nigerian airline is flying to Paris. Lufthansa, Delta and a host of others but no Nigerian carrier is operating to Frankfurt or the US.
“South African Airline flies to Nigeria and no Nigerian carrier reciprocates. Nigerian carriers are constrained, which is why you have a high mortality rate of airlines in Nigeria. Over 150 Nigerian carriers have been extinct in the last 35 years, which is very disheartening.”
