Nigerian Gov Threatens British Airways, Virgin Slots

‍DALLAS — Nigeria may force British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic (VS) to land at remote sites if Air Peace (P4) is not permitted to land at London Heathrow Airport (LHR).

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has written to his British counterpart about rejecting P4’s request for slots at LHR.

Due to LHR’s slot system, Nigeria’s flag carrier, P4, operates scheduled flights to London Gatwick (LGW). The airline is forced to use this airport as it cannot obtain slots at LHR.

Air Peace operates a fleet of 19 aircraft, including six Boeing 737s, four 737 NGs, four Boeing 777s, and 12 Embraer jets, according to airfleets.net.

Denial of Slots

In an official letter (dated August 1, 2024), addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK’s secretary of state for transportation, Keyamo threatened to reciprocate the treatment its airline is afforded in the UK. He said Nigeria would deny BA and VS their slots at Lagos (LOS) and Abuja (ABV) airports if P4 were not awarded space at LHR.

A few weeks prior, the Minister had stated that Nigeria’s Federal Government would write to the United Kingdom to request permission for Nigerian carriers, specifically P4, to operate scheduled flights into and out of LHR. 

In accordance with the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), the Minister stated at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) seminar in LOS that Nigeria would no longer tolerate a situation in which its airlines are denied access to tier-one airports abroad. 

Operating out of Gatwick

The Nigerian national carrier has not successfully obtained slots at LHR, which is closer to the center of London. Hence, it is forced to operate from and out of LGW airport, which is not a primary airport. 

That said, some international airlines, including  Air Mauritius, have shifted their operations to LGW as it offers added convenience for passengers traveling into London, compared to LHR.

Airport slot coordination is an intriguing science; as per the above, the allocation of slots is highly competitive and the top slots fiercely guarded. Artemis Aerospace investigates how airline slots are apportioned in our explainer post from our news desk today. Check it out!