Air Peace: ACL Reacts to FG’s threat to Move Virgin Atlantic, British Airways to Ilorin Airport

• Airport Coordination Limited explained the reason Air Peace was denied Heathrow, UK’s busiest airport
• According to the body, the Nigerian airline could not meet the deadline it was given at two different times
• It stated that while it considered the Air Peace’s there was no capacity available to allocate the airline

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

A fresh development has emerged in the diplomatic rift between Nigeria and the UK, which has been exacerbated by Air Peace's inability to obtain landing slots at London Heathrow Airport.

This followed Festus Keyamo, Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, giving the United Kingdom a firm ultimatum of August 1, 2024 to consider Air Peace for Heathrow Airport spot or Nigeria may force British Airways and other airlines to land at Ilorin, Kano, and other remote locations.

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ACL replies missed deadline twice

Daily Sun contactedut Air Peace's trouble getting Heathrow slots, and Alison Chambers Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) to inquire abo, the company's media representative, Alison Chambers gave a detailed response.

She said that since Air Peace had submitted its slot requests beyond the official dates, the airline was automatically disqualified.

Chambers underlined that the process of allocating slots at busy airports such as Heathrow is fiercely competitive and has stringent deadlines that are set months in advance.

She clarified that missing these dates drastically lowers an airline's chances of getting a slot because open slots are usually given to those who follow the filing process.

The representaive clarify that Air Peace was not the only airline in this predicament, pointing out that any airline that missed the deadline would suffer the same fate.

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Heathrow Airport already at mazimum capacity

Furthermore, ACL emphasised that Heathrow Airport is now working at maximum capacity, which poses significant challenges for the addition of new flights.

“Air Peace submitted a request for slots at London Heathrow for the Northern Summer 2024 and Northern Winter 2024 scheduling seasons. Both requests were made after the initial submission deadline, and as such could not be considered at the same time as all other requests,” Chambers said.

ACL added in a statement that it had considered the carrier's request but that there was not enough space at the airport to accommodate the airline.

“ACL considered the request, but there was no capacity available to allocate to Air Peace, and therefore, it could not be accommodated. Heathrow is full and it is very rare to be able to allocate any slots. Where they are available, airlines need to submit at the right time to be considered as any capacity is quickly allocated. For further detail please see the relevant initial coordination report published on our website,” the slot allocator said.

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ACL says BASA consideration not important in slot allocation

Asked if the Nigeria-UK BASA was taken into account when ACL evaluated Air Peace's request for a slot, ACL responded by making it clear that BASA has no bearing on how they allot airport slots.

It emphasised that, regardless of bilateral agreements, its decisions are based on established norms and timelines.

“When making slot allocation decisions, ACL is not required to consider the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) as the two elements are independent of each other. This is consistent with industry best practice as per the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG Section 1.7.2 (j)),” Chambers stated.

The Nigeria-UK Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), which was signed in 1988 and is still in effect administratively, was examined by Daily Sun in light of the demands made by Keyamo in his correspondence with his counterpart in the UK.

An important oversight was found throughout the analysis: the agreement does not contain provisions regarding the assignment of airport slots.

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The BASA specifies flight frequency limitations in precise terms, but it makes no indication of how airport slots are to be distributed. The disparity reveals a serious inconsistency in the agreement's coverage of important facets of aircraft operations.

Another airline acquires new aircraft

Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian airline, Ibom Air, has received the second Airbus A220-300, fulfilling its plans to increase fleet operations.

The airline's General Manager of Marketing and Communication, Aniekan Essienette, disclosed this on Tuesday, August 2024, when the aircraft arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.

She said that the state governor took delivery of the aeroplane at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo.

Source: Legit.ng