“Why Air Peace was denied slots”, UK replies FG’s letter

The United Kingdom, UK, has explained why Nigerian flag airline Air Peace was refused entry to Heathrow Airport.

According to reports, this was disclosed through the Secretary of State for Transport, Right Honourable Louise Haigh in a letter sent to Mr. Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, on September 5, 2024.

According to Honourable Haigh, Air Peace applied for slots for the Summer 2024 and Winter 2024/2025 seasons too late.

Haigh claims that the Airports Coordinating Limited (ACL), had already finished the summertime slot coordinating procedure when Air Peace made its request.

She listed a few choices available to Air Peace.

She stated that Air Peace may operate from a different airport or join the waitlist.

The Secretary of State for Transport added that it can also obtain slots through slot trading and commercial arrangements with other carriers.

Part of the letter reads: “We encourage Air Peace to continue to liaise with Airports Coordination Limited (ACL), on the process for acquiring ad-hoc and historic slots at the UK’s coordinated airports.

“ACL reports that Air Peace sent late requests for slots for the Summer 2024 season and the Winter 2024/2025 season.

“Their requests were received after the slot coordination process had concluded for each season.

“Carriers can ensure they are in the best position to receive any available slots by following the correct processes.

“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.

“For example, for the Summer 2024 season, a total of 290,580 slots were available, but the number of slots requested reached 319,721.

“This left 29,141 unfulfilled slot requests, which were placed on a waitlist to potentially receive slots returned to the pool.

“Gatwick Airport, the second busiest in the UK, offers many connections to Europe, Asia, and North America.

“It benefits from a direct, mainline rail connection to central London with comparable travel times to other London airports.

“Several carriers from different nations have developed substantial and successful operations at Gatwick Airport.

“The Department understands the position this puts new entrant carriers in.

“ACL advises that carriers have three options in this scenario: join the waitlist, operate from another airport as Air Peace has done, or acquire slots through slot trading and commercial arrangements with other carriers”, the letter stated.

Mr. Keyamo had earlier requested landing slots for Air Peace at Heathrow in a diplomatic letter sent to the UK aviation authorities in September.

Air Peace was reported to be the favored airport for many foreign airlines operating in the UK.

Here are some key facts about Air Peace

Mr. Allen Onyema established the private airline Air Peace in Nigeria in 2013.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos State serves as its hub. With its focus cities including: Benin, Kano, Abuja, and Port Harcourt in Nigeria.

Its destination encompasses over 20+ domestic and regional routes.

History

• Air Peace started operating in October 2014, initially specializing in charter flights for gas and oil firms.
• It expanded to scheduled passenger services in 2015.
• And the airline received IOSA certification in 2017.

Services

• Air Peace offers First class, business, and economy flight services.
• In-flight meals and entertainment are made available.
• Mobile apps and online check-in.
• Services for cargo.

Awards and Recognition

• Air Peace was awarded “Best Domestic Airline” (National Tourism Transportation Summit) in the 2017.
• it was also awarded the “Airline of the Year” (Aviation Security Roundtable) in 2018.
• Also, in 2019, it won the “Most Innovative Airline” (Nigerian Aviation Awards).

Social Accountability

1. Humanitarian services: Air Peace engages in humanitarian services. This is evident when Nigerians were evacuated from areas of conflict, amongst other.
2. Disaster relief: Such as assistance for victims of fire and flooding.
3. Community development: Supporting regional gatherings.

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