Air Peace, other Nigerian airlines set to commence South Africa, US routes, FG shares detail

The federal government has started the process of enabling Nigerian airlines to run overseas routes, particularly in the United States and South American countries.

Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, said this in a YouTube interview with O'tega Ogra titled, "Unfiltered: The Big Interview.”

Keyamo said the government is putting plans in place for domestic airlines in the country to commence direct flight operations to both the US and South America.

He stated: “BASA are negotiated between different sovereigns. So it is when you get your BASA and your reciprocal rights that you can give to your local operators and ensure that they are enforced as per the foreign entities.

"So we did that; we wrote several letters; we travelled back and forth because we knew that that was what we could use to bring down prices. The only thing that can bring down prices in any market is competition. It is not a monopoly.

How earlier attempts to break monopoly failed

The minister explained how British Airways enjoyed those routes for so many years unchallenged. According to him, there were attempts by local airlines in the past to run the routes, but they were muscled out.

Keyamo said that was why the federal government put its foot on the ground, dusted off the BASA, and ensured that BASAs were respected.

He added that when the foreign airlines later conceded that Air Peace could start flying the routes, things changed.

Speaking on opportunities to fly other routes, he said: “We are looking at the American routes and the South American routes. Nobody is even flying to South America at all now. But something is in the offing for us to start that route now.

"That is just one aspect of helping the local airlines to enforce the BASA by telling the countries that these are our flight carriers so that they can respect them as Nigeria representatives, not as just private businesses in the country."

The second aspect, according to him, is to ensure that these airlines can also have the capacity after giving them the routes.

Given that Nigerian airline Air Peace just launched a route between Lagos and London, increasing competition and driving down ticket rates, this is a significant development.

The airline chairman, Allen Onyema, stated that he started the Air Peace London route because he loves Nigeria and wanted to abolish the exorbitant airfares that go from Nigeria to London and back.

NCAA Gives Instruction to airlines

Legit.ng reported that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has threatened legal action against airline owners and operators that fly into nationally restricted regions.

The authority said it had received a letter from the national security adviser's office reporting the sighting of an unidentified aircraft flying over the presidential villa.

The letter, titled "Warning to All Operators Against Flying Into Restricted and Prohibited Areas," was addressed to operators and owners.