Foremost human right Lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has called for the suspension of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from operating in Nigeria over breach of the nation’s Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).
Falana while speaking at the just concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Abuja, said the suspension shouldn’t be lifted until Nigerian indigenous airline, Air Peace is allowed to operate the Lagos-London route.
According to Falana, BASA allows for reciprocity of flight operations on the route by designated airlines in line with the agreement signed by both countries.
According to him, it was out of place and unfair for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to be allowed to continue flying into Nigeria without any Nigerian airline flying to London in return.
He observed that Air Peace has proven it has the capacity to operate on international routes, adding that the airline currently flies to China, Israel, India and South Africa among others using modern aircraft comparable to those of its foreign competitors.
“If Air Peace is not allowed to fly to London, then British Airways and Virgin Atlantic should be stopped from flying to Nigeria,” he stated.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways both have about 21 weekly frequencies to Nigeria.
While British Airways operates 14 weekly flights to two airports in Nigeria; Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, Virgin Atlantic Airways flies weekly seven frequencies to Lagos from Heathrow Airport in London.
Air Peace, on the other hand, had applied to fly the Lagos-London route, but the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) had yet to grant it approval to commence operations.
Just on Thursday in Lagos, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo told journalists in Lagos that the government would review the multiple entries granted to foreign airlines into the country.
He also that the new administration was willing to support the indigenous airlines but said they must show the capacity to deliver.
He said: “People have been complaining about our Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) and the airline operators said, ‘Look you can’t come under a BASA, and foreign airlines will be hopping from one city to the other within Nigeria, picking passengers.’ And this affects their local operations.
One of my cardinal objectives is that we have to develop the local industry and we have to protect and support our local operators, but they must give me and the Nigerian people comfort, too.
“They need to tell the Nigerian people that they can perform. I am clear as to where I am going, I have to balance all these interests. But I am looking at all of those issues before I come to a decision.”
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