As a result of the British authority’s refusal to accept the airline’s application, Air Peace’s chairman, Mr. Allen Onyema, said that the airline has yet to commence flying to London, United Kingdom.
This is happening despite the fact that UK airlines like Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have 21 weekly flights to Nigeria.
Reciprocity is a clause in the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) that countries entered into for the purpose of conducting flight operations.
In other words, if a foreign airline has access to seven weekly frequencies to Nigeria, the country must likewise make those frequencies available to a Nigerian airline.
However, over the years Nigeria has not been able to reciprocate over 70 BASAs signed with countries around the world.
While Nigerian airlines had operated UK flights in the past, none of them is currently on that route leaving the market only to foreign airlines.
A direct economy ticket to the UK currently costs approximately N2 million due to the ticket’s increasing cost.
The chairman revealed that Air Peace’s attempt to enter the market with the intention of driving down prices on one of the most lucrative routes had been unsuccessful.
Onyema said during a presentation at the Aviation Roundtable forum in Lagos that the airline, which currently flies to China, India, South Africa, and Israel, wrote to the UK authorities to start operating to London but that they responded with a letter telling the airline to stop bothering them.
Contrary to claims that Nigerian airlines lack capacity, he claimed that what they actually lack is the proper support.
Ada Peter
