Diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the UK have taken a new turn due to Air Peace’s tussle over landing slots at London Heathrow Airport.
Airports Coordination Limited (ACL), the independent body responsible for slot allocation in the UK, has revealed that the Nigerian airline has missed two key deadlines.
The company told Journalists that Air Peace failed to submit its slot requests on time for the 2024 Northern Summer and 2024 Northern Winter schedule seasons.
The delayed deadlines announced by the slot allocator have further complicated the situation, raising legitimate concerns about the airline’s ability to gain a foothold at one of the world’s busiest airports.
As the diplomatic rift between the two countries deepens, all eyes are on Air Peace to see whether it can bounce back from these setbacks to secure coveted slots or whether the standoff will further strain Nigeria-UK relations.
The dispute began on August 1, 2024, when Nigerian Minister of Aviation and Space, Festus Keyamo, presented the UK with a decisive ultimatum. In a letter to British Transport Secretary Louise Hague, Keyamo warned that Nigeria would retaliate against British Airways and Virgin Atlantic if national carrier Air Peace was not granted coveted landing slots at London Heathrow Airport.
Keyamo’s letter left no room for ambiguity, threatening to deny these prominent British airlines access to Nigeria’s busiest and most strategic airports in Abuja and Lagos.
This bold stance marked a notable escalation of the diplomatic dispute as Nigeria sought to use its market power in air transport to ensure fair treatment for Air Peace. The minister’s ultimatum underscores Nigeria’s resolve, which could have ramifications for both countries’ aviation industries and lead to a reset of bilateral relations. The situation is currently unclear and the global aviation industry is waiting to see how these tensions are resolved.
Keyamo stressed that the allocation of space for Air Peace at Gatwick violates the Nigeria-UK Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), which governs the reciprocal rights of airlines. He said that while British airlines have full access to Nigeria’s world-class airports, Air Peace was unable to secure slots at Heathrow.
He called for immediate action to address the situation and warned that Nigeria would not tolerate unfair treatment of its national airline.
Journalists exclusively reported last week that the UK Department of Transport said it would look into the matter “in due course”.
Journalists earlier disclosed Airport Coordination Limited’s (ACL) explanation for Air Peace’s difficulty in securing slots at Heathrow, and the company’s media representative Alison Chambers provided a clarification.
She explained that Air Peace’s slot request was submitted after the official deadline and therefore was automatically disqualified from consideration. She stressed that the allocation of slots at major airports such as Heathrow is a highly competitive and time-sensitive process, with strict deadlines set months in advance.
She further cleared that available slots are typically awarded to airlines that adhere to their application deadlines, so missing these deadlines significantly reduces an airline’s chances of winning a slot.
Chambers also explained that the situation is not unique to Air Peace, noting that any airline that misses the deadlines will face similar consequences. ACL further stressed that Heathrow is operating at full capacity and is extremely challenged to accept new flights.
“Air Peace submitted a request for slots at London Heathrow for the Northern Summer 2024 and Northern Winter 2024 scheduling seasons. Both requests were made after the initial submission deadline, and as such could not be considered at the same time as all other requests,” Chambers said.
Journalists further asked if there were any criteria for slot acquisition at Heathrow (other than early submission of applications) that Air Peace did not meet, and ACL said it had considered the national carrier’s application but was not currently at capacity. The airport that the airline could accommodate.
It further explained that if slots are available, the airline must submit the slots in good time for consideration. ”ACL considered the request, but there was no capacity available to allocate to Air Peace and therefore it could not be accommodated. Heathrow is full and it is very rare to be able to allocate any slots.
Where they are available, airlines need to submit at the right time to be considered as any capacity is quickly allocated. For further detail please see the relevant initial coordination report published on our website,” the slot allocator said.
