The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced that a Nigerian airline, Air Peace, will soon begin flights between Abuja and London.
Keyamo disclosed this on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” programme on Thursday, stating that he had granted an approved for Air Peace to add Abuja to its London route.
“Just yesterday (Wednesday), I approved Air Peace for the Abuja-London route, not only the Lagos-London route. British Airways also come to Abuja. So, let Air Peace block that path and start a war. It’s all for the good of Nigerians,” the minister said.
Keyamo indicated that Air Peace or any interested local airline should aim to operate at London Heathrow Airport instead of Gatwick, adding however that the latter serves as a low-hanging fruit and a starting point.
According to the minister, Nigeria is currently reviewing the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the UK and Nigeria, with decisions to be made once the review is complete.
Air peace recently commenced flights between Lagos and Gatwick Airport in London.
The development has garnered praise from many industry observers, who have also raised concerns about the logistical challenges involved.
The Assistant General Secretary of the Aviation Round Table, Olumide Ohunayo, expressed enthusiasm about the potential benefits of the Abuja-London route to travelers.
“Under the bilateral services, we have seven slots from Abuja to London. It’s good to see Air Peace using one of these slots. If they start these flights, it throws more capacity in that market, improves competition, and brings down fares,” Ohunayo said.
He further added that with more seats available, ticket prices would likely decrease, making air travel more affordable. “I hope it starts as soon as possible, and I look forward to it,” he concluded.
However, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Roland Itayi, questioned the feasibility of the plan, pointing out critical logistical issues.
“How will the flights commence without slots?” Iyayi asked. “If you fly out of Abuja to Gatwick airport, which slot will you use to land? Does Air Peace have any slot arrangement within Gatwick airport that will allow them to fly? These are issues that need to be sorted out.”
Regarding this, Keyamo stated that the government was monitoring the developments and would support Air Peace with the full backing of the federal authorities.
