After months of intense diplomatic efforts, Nigeria’s flagship carrier, Air Peace, has secured a coveted landing slot at London Heathrow Airport, marking a major breakthrough in bilateral air service relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, confirmed the development on Saturday via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.

“After many months of diplomatic exchanges and shuttles, insisting on our reciprocal rights under our Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), we are pleased to announce that Nigeria has finally secured the coveted Heathrow slot for one of our flag carriers, Air Peace,” Keyamo stated.

This marks a significant victory for Nigeria, which had long protested the UK’s repeated denial of Heathrow access to Air Peace, despite the airline’s consistent requests and demonstrated capacity.

The dispute intensified in August 2024 when Keyamo addressed a strongly worded letter to Louise Haigh, the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport. He warned that Nigeria might be forced to take reciprocal action, including restricting access to British Airways and Virgin Atlantic at Nigeria’s Lagos and Abuja airports, if the discrimination continued.

Air Peace began operations to London Gatwick in March 2024, but had always preferred Heathrow due to its strategic location near Central London. The airline’s efforts to gain access were previously unsuccessful.

The matter escalated further when the Nigerian government approved a new Abuja–London route, and Air Peace again approached the UK slot office for Heathrow access ahead of its winter schedule in November 2024.

Following negotiations and engagement at the International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) forum in October 2024, UK authorities agreed to the request.

Keyamo lauded the outcome as a win for Nigeria’s aviation sovereignty under BASA, noting that the government remains committed to supporting local airlines while ensuring they meet international standards.

“We are committed to offering similar support to all our local operators, which is one of the focal points of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But we will also hold them to the highest standards in terms of delivering quality services to the flying public,” he added.

Although no date has been announced for the commencement of Heathrow operations, the development positions Air Peace for deeper international expansion and affirms Nigeria’s stance on reciprocal aviation rights.