The Federal Government’s reduction of the frequency of British Airways flights to Lagos, Nigeria from seven to three, has caught the attention of the British government.
The issue has started generating ripples in the aviation sector.
The Federal Government had, through the Minister of Aviation, Stella Adaeze Oduah, announced that it had cut down on the British carrier’s frequency.
Prior to the reduction which took off from Tuesday, November 8, British Airways was operating 14 frequencies into Nigeria through Abuja and Lagos airports.
The reduction may not be unconnected with the allegation by a Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, that the British Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) denied it of landing rights on its Abuja/London Heathrow route in line with Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) signed by the Nigerian and British governments.
The denial of the landing slot to Arik Air which has forced it to suspend its flights to London/Heathrow from Abuja may have forced government to wield the big stick against British Airways.
Reacting, the British carrier, in a statement said, ”the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has restricted British Airways flights to Lagos from next week. They have cited operational reasons for this imposition. It appears that British Airways is the only airline to be singled out by these restrictions. We are doing all we can to resolve this issue.”
In its defence, British Airways said: “The distribution of the slots at Heathrow is managed through an independent organisation, Airport Coordination Ltd. ACL manages slot allocation in a fair and transparent manner, where all airlines have the opportunity to be involved..www.mannastores.com
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