Chairman of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema has said the airline was yet to commence flying to London, United Kingdom because the authorities in the country have refused to honour the airline’s application.
This is coming despite the fact that UK Airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic enjoy 21 frequencies weekly to Nigeria.
Reports say that in the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) entered into among countries for the purpose of flight operations, there is a provision of reciprocity.
This means that if a foreign airline enjoys seven weekly frequencies to Nigeria, the country must also make available the same frequencies for a Nigerian airline to fly to that country.
However, over the years Nigeria has not been able to reciprocate over 70 BASAs signed with countries around the world.
While Nigerian airlines had operated UK flights in the past, none of them is currently on that route leaving the market only to foreign airlines.
At the moment, an economy ticket to the UK on direct flight costs almost N2m due to the skyrocketing price of the ticket.
But Air Peace’s move to enter into the market with a view to crashing fares in what is one of the most lucrative routes had been frustrated, the chairman disclosed.
While speaking at the Aviation Roundtable forum in Lagos, Onyema stated that the airline, which currently flies to China, India, South Africa and Israel, wrote to the UK authorities to start operating to London but they wrote back to the airline to stop disturbing them.
He said contrary to the insinuation that Nigerian airlines don’t have capacity, what they lack is the right support.
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