The UK has agreed to discuss with Nigeria’s aviation authorities the allocation of coveted Heathrow Airport slots to Air Peace, Nigeria’s leading carrier.
This comes in response to the letter written by Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, expressing frustration over the “consistent denial of slots” for Air Peace to operate at Heathrow.
Since its operations began in March 2024, the UK government has relegated Air Peace to a second-grade Gatwick Airport. Conversely, Nigeria argued that it was unfair for UK carriers to have access to Nigeria’s top-tier airports, such as Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.
In the September letter to Keyamo, UK Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh acknowledged the importance of air services between the two countries.
“We consider the social, economic, and political links between our two countries vital,” Haigh stated. She added that maintaining a “vibrant air services market” is critical to the prosperity of both nations.
Haigh invited Nigeria to discuss the issue at the next International Civil Aviation Negotiations event, which will take place later in October 2024.
Air Peace had sought to fly directly into Heathrow, but Haigh clarified that the airline’s slot applications for the Summer 2024 and Winter 2024/2025 seasons were submitted after the Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) had concluded the slot allocation process.
“Air Peace sent late requests for slots… after the slot coordination process had concluded for each season,” Haigh explained. Due to Heathrow’s capacity constraints, only 290,580 slots were available for the Summer 2024 season, while airlines requested over 319,721 slots, leaving 29,141 unfulfilled.
Haigh outlined three options for Air Peace: joining the waitlist for future slots, engaging in slot trading with other carriers, or continuing operations from Gatwick, the UK’s second-busiest airport. “We encourage Air Peace to continue to liaise with ACL on acquiring ad-hoc and historic slots at the UK’s coordinated airports,” Haigh suggested.
If the slot issue is unresolved, the Nigerian government has hinted at retaliatory measures, threatening to deny British Airways and Virgin Atlantic access to key Nigerian airports.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has also stepped in, pledging to negotiate better access for Nigerian carriers abroad, stressing that “airlines are exceptional” and must be supported in line with global practices.
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