By Dickson Omobola

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, weekend, said the federal government’s success in securing daily flight slot for Air Peace at London’s Heathrow Airport showed commitment to supporting Nigerian airlines.

Last week, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, had announced that the United Kingdom government, through the Airports Coordination Limited, ACL, had allocated daily flight slot to Air Peace at Heathrow Airport.

Onyema, who commended Keyamo and President Bola Tinubu for the support given to domestic airlines, also said the airline would commence direct flight from Abuja to Heathrow on October 26.

According to him, while the Abuja-Heathrow flight will operate three times a week, Abuja to Gatwick will run four times a week.

Speaking on the development via his X handle, Keyamo said: “My dear compatriots, after many months of diplomatic exchanges and shuttles, insisting on our reciprocal rights under our Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, we are pleased to announce that Nigeria has finally secured the coveted Heathrow slot for one of our flag carriers.

“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 Bola Tinubu. We are also committed to ensuring that whilst we support their businesses to grow, we hold them to the highest standards in terms of delivering quality services to the flying public.”

Last year, Keyamo had threatened to restrict British Airways’ flights in Nigeria over the refusal of the aviation authorities in the UK to allow Air Peace operate to Heathrow.

He argued that since British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were given Nigeria’s primary airports: the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, MMIA, in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; it was also appropriate that the UK government allowed Air Peace to fly to Heathrow, in line with BASA.

Keyamo, in a letter dated August 1, 2024, had warned that if Air Peace was not allocated a slot at Heathrow, Nigeria would deny British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports.

UK Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, however, said at the time that Air Peace could not secure slots at Heathrow Airport because the domestic airline submitted its request after the slot coordination process had concluded for each season.