Air Peace to start flying into Heathrow as from October after being granted landing rights

NIGERIA'S aviation minister Festus Keyamo has expressed delight about the fact that domestic carrier Air Peace has now been granted rights at London's Heathrow Airport saying the development is a culmination of months of diplomatic activity.

Last year, Air Peace was granted landed rights at Gatwick Airport and on March 30 2024, its maiden flight landed in London, with Mr Keyamo as one of the passengers. However, a concerted campaign has been mounted over the last year to get the British authorities to grain the airline landing rights at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport.

London to Lagos is one of the most lucrative routes in global aviation and with Air Peace being the only domestic Nigerian airline operating that route, Nigerian aviation authorities have been arguing that it deserves a slot at Heathrow. This would enable Air Peace to compete with the likes of BA, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, Virgin, etc who all fly to Nigeria London.

Last week, the British aviation authorities finally relented and granted Air Peace landing rights at Heathrow. Mr Keyamo explained that slot allocation was the result of sustained diplomatic engagement by the Nigerian government to enforce the country’s rights under the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement (Basa.)

He described the development as a significant diplomatic milestone that reflects Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring fair and reciprocal treatment for its local carriers on international routes. According to Mr Keyamo, the move aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasises support for indigenous businesses while maintaining global service standards.

Mr Keyamo said: “My dear compatriots, after many months of diplomatic exchanges and shuttles, insisting on our reciprocal rights under our Bilateral Air Services Agreement, we are pleased to announce that Nigeria has finally secured the coveted Heathrow slot for one of our flag carriers, Air Peace.”

This development will see Air Peace fly directly from Abuja to London Heathrow Airport as from October this year. Among other things, Air Peace brings a Nigerian flavour to the journey with its menu including meat pepper soup, efo riro, egusi, pounded yam, jollof rice, etc.