Air Peace Takes Off At Heathrow: A New Era Begins For Nigerian Airlines, Travellers 

The recent announcement by the management of Air Peace that it will be commencing Abuja-Heathrow route in October, has opened a new vista of hope for Nigerian airlines and passengers, but recent history doesn’t favour the airline. Pakuli Panam Danjuma writes.

The Nigeria-United Kingdom (U.K) route is one of the most lucrative and visited out of the country, contributing about $150 million to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024 and ferrying millions of air travellers between the two countries.

Two British carriers – British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways previously enjoyed duopoly on the route out of Nigeria with 21 weekly frequencies, apart from other foreign carriers that operate indirect flights to the leading European country without reciprocity from any Nigerian carrier since 2018 when Med-View Airlines suspended operations to the UK after various disruptions to its services.

Earlier, Arik Air had also “suspended” operations to the same route and other long-haul routes in 2017 when the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) took over the control of the airline on February 9, 2017 under controversial circumstances, which remained unresolved till date and still being contested in various courts across the country.

Prior to that time, Bellview Airlines, had operated to London, specifically London Heathrow Airport, but ceased operations to the route in 2009 after series of financial struggles and safety concerns.

British Airways presently operates a total of 14 weekly frequencies out of two Nigerian airports – Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, while its counterpart from United Kingdom, Virgin Atlantic Airways, operates seven frequencies weekly out of MMIA, totaling frequencies 21 by the two.

Despite being a lucrative route, airfares to the destination were exorbitant with the shutting of low-inventory tickets to Nigerian travellers by most of the foreign carriers, including the two British carriers.

Appeals and interventions from the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and other various industry experts to the foreign carriers to release the low-inventory tickets proved abortive as Nigerian travellers continued to pay between $1,500 and $2,500 round trip in the economy class seat, depending on the airline and time of booking.

Air Peace Intervention

But, on March 30, 2024, Air Peace, the lone Nigerian carrier operating inter-continental flights out of Nigeria, broke the foreign airlines monopoly on the route with the commencement of Lagos-Gatwick scheduled flights with its Boeing 777 and 274-seat configuration. It is also in fulfillment of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangement the Federal Government signed with the British Government.

A few weeks to the commencement of the route, most foreign airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways, strangely crashed their airfares to between $600 to $800 in the economy class seat, from the preciously rigid $1,500 to $2,500.

Air Peace debuted with less than N1 million for the six hours flight in the economy class tickets and a few weeks later, crashed the fare by additional N600,000, also depending on the time of booking.

Air Peace commenced the London route with five weekly frequencies, which later increased to daily, totalling seven flights weekly out of Nigeria.

Speaking at the new international terminal at the Lagos airport during the launch of the Lagos-London route by Air Peace, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, said the goal of President Bola Tinubu’s administration was to give full support to the Nigerian carriers to operate international destinations profitably and to assist them to acquire aircraft on dry lease.

The minister noted that the Air Peace flight to London had forced foreign airlines to review downwards their airfares, open the low-inventory tickets to Nigerian travellers and launched competitive tickets.

Keyamo said: “This is a very bullish approach to breaking the monopoly on this route. The UK has 21 slots into our country every week. British Airways alone has 14 weekly slots. So, Air Peace will compete on this level.

“The most important one is that there would be no problem of trapped funds because it is a local company; so, it won’t need to repatriate money through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“The airlines that come to Nigeria – what we experience is massive repatriation of funds that puts pressure on the naira because they have to seek dollars to repatriate revenues earned from the sale of tickets.”

Also, Doris Uzoka-Anite, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, had described the feat by Air Peace as the convergence of innovation, determination, and unwavering commitment to excellence.

According to her, Nigeria was in need of a local airline flying directly to the UK for a number of years, stressing that with its operations to the route, the airline now wears the badge of Made-in-Nigeria.

“It is a symbol of our collective effort to showcase our capabilities to the world. From the skilled hands that maintain the aircraft to the warm smiles of the cabin crew, every aspect of Air Peace reflects the spirit of our nation.

“Air Peace’s presence in London is not merely about arrivals and departures; it is about trade, investment, and collaboration. By choosing Air Peace, you choose to invest in Nigeria. You choose to empower local businesses, create jobs, and strengthen our economy,” she added.

Also speaking at the launch, Dr. Allen Onyema, the Chairman of Air Peace, assured Nigerians that the airline would maintain international standards on the route in terms of quality of equipment, in-flight service and food.

He also corroborated Keyamo when he said that the Air Peace flight to London had forced other international carriers to review their fares to that destination from Nigeria.

He said: “Air Peace commencement of Lagos-London flight has forced international airlines to reduce fares from over N4 million to N1.8 million to N1.9 million. This event has saved this country billions of naira in the last three weeks.

“It has also helped in improving the value of the naira against the dollar. These foreign airlines were charging exorbitant fares and had so much money in their hands. They took this money to go to the market to look for dollars, putting a strain on the naira.

“But now we are doing this flight and people are paying what they are supposed to pay and there is less demand for dollars because fewer naira now is chasing the dollar and the dollar is coming down.

“I thank the president and his team. We are being supported. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation, went with us to the UK when they were almost frustrating us with slots. Today, he is here. They have given us that support.”

Air Peace’s One Year Scorecard

Exactly on March 30, 2025, Air Peace clocked a year on the Lagos-Gatwick route, which it operates five weekly with numerous enviable scorecards.

Within the 365 days of its direct scheduled flights to Northwestern Europe, Air Peace transported 136,661 passengers across 662 flights, which demonstrated its operational excellence.

Within the period, the service has made international travel more affordable with fares dropping by 40 per cent since its launch.

Also, Air Peace partnered SIMPLAA UK for transfers of air travellers and makes the door-to-door travel experience seamless for its customers.

Besides, student travellers received 15 per cent fare discounts. Over 8,000 scholars have benefited already. The route also contributed $150 million to Nigeria’s GDP with over 1,200 jobs created across sectors. These include aviation, hospitality and logistics roles.

Aero Politics On London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport is the most popular UK route out of Nigeria and the primary airport in the European country with 89.3 million passengers passing through its gates in 2024.

The British Government jealously guides this airport and denies most Nigerian carriers from operating to it under the excuse of “inadequate slot allocations.”

The only Nigerian airlines to have flown to London Heathrow Airport after the demise of Nigeria Airways, the former national carrier of Nigeria were Virgin Nigeria and Arik Air.

Virgin Nigeria, which served as a feeder to Virgin Atlantic Airways, had its inaugural flight to Heathrow on 28 June 2005 from Lagos, using an Airbus A340-300 aircraft.

The airline while flying the route, became one of Nigeria’s largest airlines, carrying its 1,000,000th passenger and 4,000th ton of freight within two years of operation, but in January 2009, the airline suspended all its long-haul routes, including Johannesburg, following a dispute with the Federal Government over an alleged violation of agreements.

Sir Richard Branson, the Chairman of Virgin Atlantic Group, withdrew its joint venture with Virgin Nigeria and used very strong words to express his frustration with Nigerian politicians and business environment, saying “they hinder business growth and success in the country” and advised against doing business in the country.

Also, Arik Air, which commenced the Lagos-Heathrow route three years after the suspension by Virgin Nigeria, 2012 to be precise, also stopped operations to all its long-haul routes, including Heathrow and Johannesburg on February 15, 2017, barely eight days after takeover by AMCON.

However, a few weeks after it began the Lagos-Gatwick route, Air Peace applied to operate direct flight to Heathrow from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, but was denied the route by the British authorities, citing lack of slots.

The British authorities, led by its United Kingdom Department for Transport had told the airline that it was not in charge of slots allocation.

The department also in a response letter to Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Nigeria, dated September 5, 2024, signed by Rt. Hon Louise Haigh, Secretary of State For Transport, UK and copied Air Peace, advised the airline to apply to Airports Coordinator Limited (ACL), the independent slot coordinator for slot allocation at the London Heathrow Airport.

Haigh claimed that all foreign and domestic airlines seeking slots at coordinated airports in the UK were required to apply to the independent slot coordinator of the UK Government, using globally recognised guidelines and processes including the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines.

Haigh insisted that ACL was legally required to act in a neutral, transparent and non-discriminatory way that supports a competitive, independent market.

Haigh also declared that Heathrow Airport was constrained by capacity issues.

According to him, in the summer of 2024 season, there were a total of 290,580 slots available; given the capacity constraints, historic rights, and the growth ambitions of all carriers, but the number of slots requested reached 319,721.

He declared that this meant that carriers had unfulfilled requests for 29,141 slots, which were placed on to a waitlist to potentially receive slots returned to the pool, adding that Gatwick Airport was the second busiest airport in the UK, with many connections to Europe, Asia, and North America.

The letter read in part: “I am aware that your officials received a detailed briefing from the UK Department for Transport in January 2024 – the UK’s system for the allocation of slots has not altered substantially since then.

“London’s airports, especially Heathrow, continue to be capacity-constrained with very few new slots available to be allocated to carriers.

“As you may be aware, Heathrow Airport is constrained by runway capacity and an air traffic movement limit, which places downward pressure on the number of slots available in any operating season.”

But, Keyamo and Onyema would not take any of these excuses, which pointed to aero politics by the U.K authorities. They both stood their grounds on getting slots at the prime UK airport – London Heathrow.

Keyamo subtly kicked against the feeble excuse given by the United Kingdom Department for Transport to deny Air Peace or any other Nigerian airlines the right to operate into Heathrow or any other airport of their choice in the UK.

Keyamo issued a subtle threat, warning that if Air Peace was not allocated a space at London Heathrow, Nigeria may be forced to “reciprocate” by denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports.

Keyamo insisted that in the absence of a national carrier, the government would support local airlines and give them whatever they needed to survive and succeed in their international operations.

He said: “We have already written to the United Kingdom to give Nigerian carriers, especially Air Peace Heathrow Airport, which is a tier one airport, just as we have British Airways in Lagos, our tier one airport. We may as well give British Airways Ilorin to operate to.

“When we asked for Heathrow Airport, you’re telling us to go to a slot committee. Who does that? Air Peace I can tell you 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. We need to support them to grow, but they must show capacity to reciprocate many of the agreements.”

Air Peace’s Foray To Heathrow London

After its denial to operate to London Heathrow Airport, the United Kingdom Department for Transport, finally succumbed to the Federal Government’s pressure to allow Air Peace to operate direct scheduled flights to Heathrow.

Just in June, Onyema announced the approval of Air Peace by the Airports Coordinator Limited (ACL), to commence scheduled flights to London Heathrow Airport.

Onyema told the media in Lagos that Air Peace would from October 26, 2025, start the Abuja-Heathrow route four times weekly, while additional three flights from the same Abuja airport would be operated to Gatwick, using its B777 wide body aircraft.

He insisted the new route was borne out of his love for Nigeria and to put an end to high fares from Nigeria to London and back, promising that the airline would give Nigerians the best option in terms of fares.

Stakeholders Assessment

Commenting on the Abuja-Heathrow route, experts in the Nigerian aviation industry commended Keyamo for protecting indigenous carriers.

Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, the Director, Research, Zenith Travels, said that Air Peace operations to Gatwick London Airport in the last 18 months had exposed the airline to international services.

According to Ohunayo, so far, Air Peace had performed creditably well on the London route with its frequencies integrity, even though its domestic operations lacked industry standards.

On the Abuja-Heathrow operations, Ohunayo emphasised Air Peace deserved all the cooperation from the Nigerian government and industry stakeholders, noting that the new operations would enhance its integrity and foreign partnership.

He said: “As long as they operate into Heathrow, it expands their frontier and opportunities to negotiate commercial agreements with other airlines that are under aviation entities, which can make them increase their frequencies or even make them start another route. That is good for them. I just hope they can sustain whatever they have started on the Gatwick route and improve upon it.

“With the slots to Gatwick and Heathrow now, they need some commercial agreements and I think they would have done all the necessary ground work for expansion and connections beyond London. I have listened to criticism about them going to Heathrow and my position is: he who wears the shoes that knows where it pinches. They should let Air Peace be.”

Also, Mr. Bankoke Bernard, the Group Managing Director (GMD), Finchglow Group Ltd, described the Abuja-Heathrow flight as a welcome development.

Bankole explained that the commencement of the route would create a balance of trade between the two countries, which he said had been in favour of the United Kingdom.

“We appeal to Air Peace to try its best to sustain the London route. We are willing to give them all the support to ensure this is successful,” he added.

President, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Alhaji Abdulmunaf Sarina, said Keyamo had continued to demonstrate uncommon political will and deep understanding of the Nigerian aviation industry’s challenges since he was appointed as a minister for the sector.

According to him, since his appointment, Keyamo has repositioned Nigeria’s aviation industry and Nigeria positively on the global scene with exceptional dedication to the growth and sustainability of local airlines in the country.

He said: “The association expressed optimism that the industry is on a trajectory of sustainable growth under the current administration.

“We commend the Federal Government for seeking ways to address the capacity challenges faced by local airlines, rather than demonising them for lack of capacity—an ugly trend that marred the past. This new direction reflects true leadership and patriotic pragmatism.”

Sarina also lauded President Bola Tinubu for appointing Keyamo as a minister in the sector.

“The appointment of Keyamo is one made right,” it added.

Also, Mr. Amos Akpan, the Managing Director of Flight and Logistics Solutions Ltd, said the commencement of Heathrow route by Air Peace would give Nigerians better choices and create opportunity for affordable fares and competitive pricing.

He expressed that Nigerians could not choose between the airline and other foreign carriers flying to the UK from Abuja to London Heathrow Airport.

He also emphasised that the opening of the route would give the Nigerian travel agencies wider customer base, while the urge for foreign exchange would further drop.

“Air Peace must be clear on her business case for the route. Be clear on the micro vision of the London route as it fits into the overall corporate vision of the company. It’s a journey that requires intentional steps by following a strategic path,” he added.