On Friday, Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, engaged in talks with UK officials from the transport department to address the challenges hindering direct flights from Lagos to London.
The meeting included talks with NORSE Atlantic Airways’ management, led by CEO Ben Boiling.
The focus of the discussions revolved around the potential partnership between NORSE Atlantic Airways and Nigeria’s domestic carrier, Air Peace Airline.
NORSE Atlantic Airways, recognized as a major carrier in the UK and Europe, aims to collaborate with Air Peace Airline.
The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace Airline, Oluwatoyin Olajide, expressed optimism about the outcomes of the meeting, stating, “We are hopeful that the fallout of the meeting would achieve its purpose of enabling Air Peace Airline to commence its flight operations into the United Kingdom, which Nigerians have been yearning for.”
Festus Keyamo reiterated his commitment to supporting the growth and improvement of Nigeria’s domestic airlines, aligning with Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ben Boiling assured Keyamo that NORSE Atlantic Airways is prepared to initiate the partnership with Air Peace Airline as soon as the final authorization is granted for direct flights from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London.
The statement highlighted that, despite securing authorization to fly into the UK and fulfilling all requirements, the main obstacle for Air Peace Airline has been slot allocation at Gatwick Airport.
“Since securing its authorisation to fly into the UK, after satisfying all the requirements, the issue of slot allocation at Gatwick Airport has been the major obstacle preventing the Airline from commencing the direct flight into London,” the statement read in part.
During the meeting, “The officials of the Department for Transport at the meeting made it known that the Government of the UK had no authority over the allocation of slots at the eight primary airports in the UK.
“However, they agreed to raise the concern of the Federal Government of Nigeria with the relevant authorities on the three major issues presented on behalf of Air Peace Airline which were the staggering departure time; restrictive turnaround time; and approval for the 2024 summer schedule,” the statement added.