Air Peace aircrafts
By Tony Folarin
If the increasing misunderstanding between the United Kingdom aviation authorities and a Nigerian airline, Airpeace was not quickly resolved it might lead to another diplomatic row similar to the one that occurred in 1984 during the administration of retired major general Muhammadu Buhari when government impounded the British plane in retaliation for similar treatment meted out to Nigerian plane over the Umaru Dikko affair.
Only last week, Aviation Minister, Barrister Festus Keyamo , SAN, hinted that Nigeria may be forced to reciprocate the treatment handed out to Air Peace.
Keyamo stated that he had written to his British counterpart and lodged a formal complaint over the refusal of the British authorities to allow Air Peace to fly to Heathrow Airport.
Note that Nigeria’s flag carrier airline, Air Peace is only allowed to fly to a second-tier airport, Gatwick because of the slot system.
According to the Minister, In a letter dated August 1, 2024, and addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK Secretary of State for Transport, Keyamo warned that if Air Peace was not allocated a space at London Heathrow, Nigeria would be forced to “reciprocate” by denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports.
Nigeria has been unfairly treated as Heathrow is the UK’s primary airport, Air Peace, the Nigerian carrier, is currently only allowed to operate from Gatwick Airport, the secondary airport.
Findings revealed that all efforts by Air Peace to secure a slot at Heathrow, which is much closer to the heart of London, have been largely unsuccessful.
Recall that Keyamo a couple of weeks ago had alerted the public that the Federal Government would write to the United Kingdom to allow Nigerian carriers particularly Air Peace operate also in Heathrow Airport.
He made this known when he addressed reporters at the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) seminar in Lagos. He stated that the country would henceforth frown at the situation where the country’s airlines are not allowed to tier one airport overseas in line with the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) adding that failure not to allow Air Peace into Heathrow may lead to Nigeria taking British Airways and others to places like Ilorin, Kano, and other obscure places.
The tension over Air Peace did not start today; recall that in May this year the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority had written Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority stating Air Peace had allegedly violated some aviation safety regulations
The development surfaced barely three months after the Nigerian carrier started the Lagos-London route.
Two mandatory occurrence reports on Air Peace had been reportedly sent to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.
The UK CAA, in turn, sent the complaints to the NCAA.
The CAA’s letter of complaint forwarded to NCAA was entitled; ‘United Kingdom SAFA Ramp I.11/03624 was titled, “United Kingdom SAFA Ramp Inspection Report.
It was dated May 14, 2024, and signed by the NCAA General Manager of Operations, Capt. O.O. Lawani.
In the letter, the NCAA said the UK CAA had called its attention to the no operational approval of Electronic Flight Bag functions affecting the safe operation of the aircraft, while adding that the captain of the flight admitted that an Electronic Flight Bag was being used for navigational purposes.
NCAA further noted that the CAA stated in its letter that there was “no mounting device for the use of EFB, no charging points or battery for backup.”
Air Peace’s operation to London Gatwick from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos was based on the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, which Nigeria has with the UK.
But last week, Air Peace was dismissive of the reports of alleged safety concerns in the United Kingdom, saying ramp inspection issues had been resolved with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Stanley Olisa, the Lead, Corporate Communications of the airline, debunked the allegation in a statement made available to journalists last week in Lagos.
He confirmed the UK CAA’s letter to the NCAA, but stated that the matter had since been resolved.
According to him the publication revving up the matter again was in bad taste and misleading and capable of creating scare and fears in the minds of the flying public.
According to him, since Air Peace’s inaugural flight to the UK, the airline had been subjected to rigorous scrutiny by relevant authorities.
He said the UK CAA had on April 7 requested clarification on the airline’s use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and some other concerns, which were immediately addressed and settled.
“It is; therefore, wrong to say that the airline did not have approval for EFB. Air Peace received approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all our Boeing 777 aircraft are certified to operate with EFBs.
“Regarding the claim that our B777 aircraft lack iPad mounts and charging ports in the flight deck, this is incorrect.
“All B777 aircraft are equipped with charging ports in the cockpit, and we ensure that all our B777 aircraft have iPad mounts,” Olisa said.
He also said an issue raised by the UK CAA was the location of the airline’s cockpit library on the B777, adding that the B777 designated two locations for storing manuals and books – one behind the captain and one under the jumpseat.
Olisa said during the inspection, the books were stored under the jumpseat, as it was commonly practiced.
“We understand the inspector’s preference for the books to be placed behind the captain and have ensured this preference is accommodated for all operations going forward.
“There was also a concern about the captain’s choice of runway exit after landing. Instead of exiting at the middle runway exit, the captain, out of his professional discretion, opted to exit at the end of the runway.
“This may have delayed the arrival of another aircraft. We acknowledge this deviation and have addressed the matter with the captain, to ensure adherence to preferred exit procedures in the future.
“Ramp inspection is a normal procedure carried out by aviation authorities globally, and the UK CAA did the right thing by notifying the NCAA of the outcome of their inspection,” he said.
Festus Babalola, an aviation expert told National Waves that ‘’the Air Peace affair is a reflection of Nigeria’s standing in international arena. British Airlines have opportunities in Nigeria, yet we are denied the Heathrow airport. It’s akin to denying Virgin Airline Abuja or Lagos airport and asks them to ply only Ilorin or Enugu. We need to address the incessant insult on Nigerian sensibility, but then who is to blame? Our leaders are incompetent,’’
Professor Adeagbo Moritiwon, a political scientist said ‘’ It’s politics and the UK authorities have no regards for the country , and the reason for this is poor governance in the country. The international community have no respect for us, and this, they extend to our businesses, a form of collateral damage.’’
