The United Kingdom government has officially responded to the Nigerian government, providing detailed reasons for the denial of landing slots at Heathrow Airport to Nigeria’s flag carrier, Air Peace.
In a letter from the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, the British authorities cited the late submission of Air Peace’s slot request as the primary reason for the airline’s exclusion from Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport. This letter was in response to a formal petition from Nigeria, which sought clarification on the matter.
According to Haigh, Air Peace’s request for slots arrived after the deadline for both the Summer 2024 and Winter 2024/2025 seasons had passed. The Airports Coordination Limited (ACL), responsible for managing Heathrow’s slot allocation, had already completed its coordination process by the time Air Peace’s application was submitted.
In the letter addressed to Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, Haigh outlined alternative options available to Air Peace. She suggested that the airline could join the waitlist for future slot availability, operate from another UK airport, or explore slot trading with other airlines.
“We encourage Air Peace to continue liaising with Airports Coordination Limited on the process of acquiring ad-hoc or historic slots at the UK’s coordinated airports,” Haigh wrote. She further explained that due to Heathrow’s constrained runway capacity and air traffic movement limits, there is immense pressure on available slots. For the Summer 2024 season alone, 290,580 slots were allocated, but 319,721 requests were submitted, leaving a significant number unfulfilled.
As an alternative, Haigh recommended Gatwick Airport, the UK’s second busiest, which offers excellent connections to Europe, Asia, and North America and is accessible via direct rail services to central London. She noted that several international airlines have successfully established operations at Gatwick, suggesting it could be a viable option for Air Peace as well.
The letter also emphasized that Air Peace has three potential options in this situation: join the slot waitlist, operate from another airport, or acquire slots through commercial arrangements with other carriers.
It is worth recalling that Minister Festus Keyamo had earlier sent a diplomatic request to the UK aviation authorities, advocating for landing slots at Heathrow, which remains the preferred destination for many international airlines operating in the UK.
