The Federal Government may be obliged to restrict British Airways’ operations out of Nigeria’s top airport, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, over a slot problem in the UK.
This is as Nigerian airline Air Peace was obliged by the UK slot system to fly to Gatwick Airport rather than Heathrow, the country’s busiest airport.
In accordance with the reciprocity principle in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, revealed that it has written to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to permit Air Peace to fly to Heathrow Airport in London.
Speaking at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents’ (LAAC) 28th Annual Conference in Lagos, Keyamo, however, said that it was unfair to grant British Airways unrestricted access to MMIA, the nation’s busiest airport, while denying the Nigerian airline in the UK the same privilege in accordance with the BASA.
According to Keyamo in a Daily Trust report, the ministry was awaiting word from the UK ministry.
He emphasized that nation must follow the terms of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) that Nigeria negotiated with their governments, warning that noncompliance could result in retaliatory measures from the Nigerian government.
He said,
“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, using our Lagos 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? Air Peace I can tell you is on its way to Heathrow away from Gatwick.
“The local operators are struggling to cover their routes locally, not to talk of our international routes; Air France is coming here 10 times a week, we are not going to Paris, Lufthansa is coming here, we are not going to Frankfurt, Delta and United from America are all coming here, but we are not reciprocating. Even, South African Airways is coming here, we are not going there.
“We only managed to have Air Peace in London and to Gatwick, but we are pushing for them to take us to Heathrow. You can’t tell us you have a slot committee. Your airport operator should know that you have an existing relationship and they should respect it.
“For connectivity, people prefer Heathrow. That is an airport you can have an airline to codeshare with so that there can be connectivity.”
Additionally, the minister extended an invitation to global investors to capitalize on the enormous investment prospects in the aviation sector, particularly in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility.
