By Eseohe Solomon
The Federal Government of Nigeria may restrict British Airways from operating at the country’s tier-one airports if the United Kingdom fails to honor its Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with Nigeria, according to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
During a conference held by the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos on Friday, Keyamo disclosed that the federal government has formally requested that the UK allow Nigerian carriers, particularly Air Peace, to operate flights to Heathrow Airport.
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, access to 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.”
Expressing frustration over the UK’s response, Keyamo added, “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.”
Keyamo highlighted the need to support Nigerian airlines in reciprocating international air service agreements, noting that many agreements currently do not favor Nigerian carriers. He pointed out that while airlines such as Air France, Lufthansa, and Delta operate to Nigeria, no Nigerian airlines are flying to destinations like Paris, Frankfurt, or the United States. Similarly, South African Airlines flies to Nigeria without a reciprocal operation from Nigerian carriers.
The minister emphasized the constraints faced by Nigerian airlines, which have led to a high mortality rate in the industry, with over 150 Nigerian carriers going extinct in the last 35 years.
