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Resolve of the British authorities to retain their stranglehold on the lucrative Lagos-London route may be responsible for their reluctance to allow Nigeria's fastest-growing airliner, Arik, begin flying directly into London Heathrow.
Resolve of the British authorities to retain their stranglehold on the lucrative Lagos-London route may be responsible for their reluctance to allow Nigeria's fastest-growing airliner, Arik, begin flying directly into London Heathrow.
The British national carrier, British Airways, flies daily to London and Abuja.
Following a bi-lateral agreement in 2005, the British authorities allowed a Nigerian carrier, Bellview, fly into Heathrow.
Virgin Nigeria moved its operations to Gatwick Airport. Its first flight operations was a Lagos-Heathrow (London) service on June 28, 2005. Few months later, it moved its service to Gatwick Airport for the mere reason that its arrival time into Heathrow was not
"too pleasant" for the passengers.
But to aviation watchers, the airline's movement into Gatwick was necessitated when it was perceived by the UK authorities as giving Virgin Atlantic, its mother company, a hot competition.
Gawick Airport is quite a distance from London. Most passengers, particularly Nigerian passengers, prefer the Heathrow airport to Gatwick, irrespective of the arrival time because of its proximity to their destinations. The airport is situated right in the heart of London, compared to Gatwick which is very far from the city.
Last year, there was another agreement. A tripple designation was signed and that allowed three Nigerian airlines to be on the route. That was how Arik Air got on board to also fly the Lagos-Heathrow route.
However, the UK authorities said they were no longer going to designate another airline on the route, drawing curtain only on BA and Virgin Atlantic currently operating it.
Observers believe the UK government is not interested in designating any of her carriers on the route, neither are the authorities eager to see a third Nigerian carrier coming on board, not a world-class airline for that matter.
With brand new and latest- technology range of aircraft, hangar and personnel, Arik, undoubtedly, is seen as a tough competitor ready to give any other airline on that route a good run for its money.
Heathrow Airport, unarguably is the backbone and commercial nerve centre of the UK aviation sector. It is also one of the busiest airports in the world and the hub of BA. As such the authorities hold tight to it and sparingly allocate slots into the place.
To aviation experts, British authorities would not mind Bellview coming to Heathrow only because it does not have kind of clout of Arik to pose a credible challenge to BA on the Nigeria-London route.
When the country's national carier, Nigeria Airways, was still alive, it flew the lucrative Lagos-London
(Heathrow) route with British Airways reciprocating. Arik bought the hanger facilities of the defunct Nigeria Airways. But the existing international routes were not among the portfolio handed the Arik management when the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE)handed over the Lagos facilities to the buyer on April 3, 2006.
After the demise of the Nigeria Airways in 2001, no other airline from the country was flying into the United Kingdom (UK). British Airways (BA) had a field day milking enormous funds on the route. It was equally party time for other European carriers but BA got the best of it because it flew directly to London, while others transited through their hubs.
BA charged fares as it pleased since there was little competition.
Interestingly, the reported wihtholding of slot allocation to Arik Air has sparked off discussions at top level between the government of Nigeria and the UK with Nigerian government insisting that the airline would not fly into another airport except Heathrow, which is regarded as the aviation hub in the UK.
Right from time, slot allocation into Heathrow Airport is seen as a function of inter-governmental deals after series
of political and technical considerations.
Hoverver, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, has maintained that Arik must fly into Heahtrow and no other airport since BA and Virgin Atalntic are operating to airports of their choice.
Demuren stated this in Abuja last week at the occasion marking the inaugural flight of the Arik Air's new acquisition, two B737-700, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
While insisting that Arik Air must not settle for another airport outside Heathrow, he assured the dignitaries at the occasion that both Nigeriangovernment and UK authorities were holding discussions on the issue, expressing confidence that the airline will soon commence the Lagos-Heathrow flight.
Echoing the words of the NCAA boss, a seasoned Aviation Consultant, Mr Chris Aligbe, advised Arik Air never accept any other airport outside Heathrow if it wants to enjoy the route.
"The UK authorities use Heathrow as a competitve edge and tries to protect their own carriers. So if slot allocation is the delay for the airline to commence direct flights into the UK, then it should insist on Heathrow once and for all.
The UK carriers are operating into the best destinations in the Nigeria, so we should have same rights. The excuse that the airport is full or managed differently is not acceptable. I keep saying it, Virgin Nigeria has no reason to go to Gatwick Airport. But it's going there because if it goes to Heathrow, it'll be in competition with Virgin Atlantic and that's what they don't want.", Aligbe posited.
Aligbe, while acknowledging that Arik is blazing a new trail by acquiring brand new vessels, advised that the airline should try and get a wide-bodied aircraft like a B767, B777 or an Airbus A340 for the route as UK authorities may use that as an excuse to delay the slot allocation.
Arik on its own has placed orders for several brand new wide-bodied aircraft like the B737-800, the B787 Dreamliners and B777 all for its international operations.
The Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Johnson, has expressed confidence that the talks currently going on between Nigeria and the UK over slots into Heathrow would yield positive results, stressing the delay in commencing the service is somewhat frustrating.
The airline was recently audited by experts from the the united States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alongside the NCAA in connection with Nigeria's plans to have her local carriers commence direct flights into the US.