Festus Keyamo

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Air Peace will commence its Abuja-London route very soon.

Keyamo, said this on Channels Televisions Politics Today programme on Thursday.

He said he has given approval for Air Peace to add Abuja to its London route.

Just yesterday (Wednesday), I approved Air Peace for the Abuja-London route, not only Lagos-London route,” Keyamo said.

“British Airways also come to Abuja. So, let Air Peace block that path and start a war. Its all for the good of Nigerians.”

He stated that Air Peace or any interested local airline should be operating to Heathrow Airport and not Gatwick Airport.

READ ALSO: Sanwo-Olu did not announce minimum wage increment to N70,000 “ Commissioner

He, however, said Gatwick Airport is only a low-hanging fruit and a starting point.

The minister said he has been reviewing the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between the UK and Nigeria, and at the end of the review some decisions would be made.

On March 30, 2024, Air Peace reciprocated the lopsided Bilateral Air Service Agreement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom when the local airline began direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London.

The development has received plaudits by many industry observers, with more local airlines being encouraged to begin international flights to profitable routes.

The price of an international flight ticket on the Lagos-London route was as high as N3.5 million.

But with Air Peace pegging a return economy class ticket for N1.2 million, foreign airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Qatar Airways have been forced to reducetheir prices to stay competitive.

Air Peace entrance on the London route has sprung up a price war, with foreign carriers now underpricing to stay in business.

Concerning this, Keyamo said the government has been observing the unfolding events and would give Air Peace the needed backing.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Why are you flagging this comment?

I disagree with this user

Targeted harassment - posted harassing comments or discussions targeting me, or encouraged others to do so

Spam - posted spam comments or discussions

Inappropriate profile - profile contains inappropriate images or text

Threatening content - posted directly threatening content

Private information - posted someone else''s personally identifiable information

Before flagging, please keep in mind that Disqus does not moderate communities. Your username will be shown to the moderator, so you should only flag this comment for one of the reasons listed above.

We will review and take appropriate action.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardians leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.

Follow Us