The United Kingdom’s aviation authorities have expressed willingness to discuss slot allocation for Air Peace, Nigeria’s flagship carrier, at London’s Heathrow Airport.
This development comes after Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, penned a diplomatic letter to UK aviation authorities in early September, requesting landing slots for Air Peace at Heathrow.
In response, UK Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh indicated that her department is ready to “further discuss this matter” at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Negotiations event in October 2024. This move is seen as a positive step towards resolving the ongoing dispute over slot allocation.
Background to the Dispute
Air Peace currently operates from London’s Gatwick Airport, but has been seeking to move to Heathrow, citing the reciprocity principle in the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the UK. The Nigerian government had threatened to deny UK carriers slots at Lagos and Abuja airports if Air Peace was not allocated slots at Heathrow
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