The Federal Government of Nigeria may be forced to restrict British Airways from operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos due to a slot allocation issue in the United Kingdom.
This move follows difficulties faced by Nigeria’s airline, Air Peace, which has been unable to secure slots at Heathrow Airport, the UK’s premier airport, and has instead been flying to Gatwick Airport.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, revealed that the ministry has formally requested the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow Air Peace access to Heathrow Airport.
This request is in line with the reciprocity principle outlined in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the UK.
Speaking at the 28th Annual Conference of the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos, on Friday, Keyamo highlighted the unfairness of the current situation.
He pointed out that British Airways enjoys unrestricted access to Nigeria’s busiest airport, while Air Peace is denied similar privileges in the UK.
“We may consider limiting British Airways’ operations to Ilorin (Kwara if this issue is not resolved,” Keyamo stated.
“We are working and collaborating with Nigerian carriers to ensure that they are supported.
“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 operate to Lagos, our tier one 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? I can tell you that Air Peace is on its way to Heathrow away from Gatwick. We will look into so many agreements that we have that are not working in the interest of our airlines.”
Although the Ilorin International Airport serves as a secondary airport to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport it has only one runway. It was built in 2007 but upgraded to an international airport in 2012.
Keyamo emphasised the eed for countries to adhere to the BASA agreements, warning that failure to do so might compel Nigeria to take reactive measures.
He underscored the struggle of local operators to cover both domestic and international routes, noting the imbalance in aviation traffic between Nigeria and other countries.
“Air France, Lufthansa, Delta, and United are coming to Nigeria regularly, yet no Nigerian airline is reciprocating these routes.
“South African Airways flies here, but we are not flying there. This lack of reciprocity is detrimental to our aviation industry,” he added.
“South African Airline flies to Nigeria and no Nigerian carrier reciprocates. Nigerian carriers are constrained, which is why you have a high mortality rate of airlines in Nigeria. Over 150 Nigerian carriers have been extinct in the last 35 years, which is very disheartening.”
The minister also invited global investors to explore opportunities in Nigeria’s aviation sector, particularly in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility.
He highlighted ongoing discussions with potential investors and the upcoming call for partnerships in this project.
“For our banks and financial institutions, this is a significant business opportunity. If we establish a robust MRO facility in Nigeria, we can attract aircraft from across West, Central, and even parts of Southern Africa,” Keyamo said.
He reassured that such investments would require collaboration with existing airport infrastructure to accommodate the necessary facilities.
Keyamo concluded by urging Nigerian airlines to demonstrate their capacity to reciprocate international routes and emphasised the government’s commitment to supporting and growing the local aviation industry.
“We need to support our airlines to grow but they must show capacity to reciprocate many of the agreements,” he said.
