Ministry confirms Air Peace reapplication for Heathrow Airport slot
The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has confirmed that Air Peace has reapplied for a landing slot at Heathrow Airport after missing the initial application process.
Tunde Moshood, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, clarified the reason Air Peace was not initially included in the list of approved airlines for operations.
According to Moshood, “Air Peace missed out on the opportunity to apply. So, they have asked them to reapply.”
He further explained that airlines planning summer operations must follow a set approval process, saying, “For instance, all the airlines are bringing letters for their summer itinerary that they are planning summer trips for approval. You have to submit your plan.”
Due to this requirement, Moshood stated that Air Peace did not complete the process in time. “So, they (Air Peace) missed out, and they asked them to reapply. “
Emphasising the structured nature of airline approvals, he added, “There are times and processes for these things. It is seasonal. I’m sure they must have reapplied for it by now.”
The clarification comes amid concerns over the airline’s absence from the initial approvals for the upcoming travel season.
Air Peace was previously assigned to Gatwick Airport in the UK, a location compared to Nigeria’s Enugu Airport by experts, while UK airlines continue to operate at Lagos and Abuja airports, the country’s most commercially viable hubs.
In response to this disparity, the aviation minister formally lodged a complaint with the UK government, warning that if Air Peace was not granted a landing slot at Heathrow, Nigeria would consider banning UK airlines from landing at its major airports.
In response to the minister, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, clarified that the government was not responsible for Air Peace’s inability to secure a landing slot.
She explained that the allocation of landing slots was beyond the government’s control, emphasising that it was the sole responsibility of an independent company, Airports Coordination Limited.
