Air Peace, Nigeria’s flagship carrier, is set to begin flight operations to London Heathrow Airport after months of high-level diplomatic negotiations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Confirming the development in a statement posted on Saturday via his official X page, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said, “My dear compatriots, after many months of diplomatic exchanges and shuttles, insisting on our reciprocal rights under our Bilateral Air Services Agreement, we are pleased to announce that Nigeria has finally secured the coveted Heathrow slot for one of our flag carriers, Air Peace.”
The breakthrough follows the federal government’s strong protest over the “consistent denial” of Heathrow slots to Air Peace despite repeated requests, including after the airline began operating its Lagos–London route via Gatwick Airport in March 2024.
In a letter dated 1 August 2024 to the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, Keyamo described the situation as “highly disheartening”, noting that Heathrow had always been the airline’s preferred hub due to its proximity to central London.
He wrote, “The airline had made consistent efforts in the past to fly into Heathrow Airport from Lagos, but was denied, and only granted approval to fly into Gatwick Airport.”
The matter escalated when the Nigerian government approved a new Abuja–London route for Air Peace and the airline again approached the UK slot office for access to Heathrow for its winter operations scheduled to commence in November 2024.
Following diplomatic engagement at the International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) forum in October 2024, the UK government agreed to open discussions. This has now culminated in the approval of a Heathrow slot for the airline.
Keyamo added, “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 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But we will also hold them to the highest standards in terms of delivering quality services to the flying public.”
While no commencement date has been announced, the development marks a significant expansion of Air Peace’s international operations and a diplomatic win for Nigeria’s aviation sector.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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