Femi Falana, an erudite and learned activist, has called for the suspension of flight operations into Nigeria by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic until such a time when Nigeria’s Air Peace is allowed to also fly on the Lagos-London route by the provisions of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement(BASA) signed by Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Falana commented at Abuja’s just concluded Nigerian Bar Association(NBA) Conference.
He stated that Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) allow for the interchange of flight operations on the route by designated airlines of both countries in line with the agreement signed by both governments and that 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.
Read Air Peace’s $14m stranded with CBN, 15 planes grounded abroad — Onyema.
He observed that Air Peace has proven it can operate on international routes, adding that the airline currently flies to China, Israel, India and South Africa, among others, using modern aircraft comparable to its foreign competitors.
Falana, therefore, submitted that if Air Peace is not allowed to fly to London, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic should be stopped from flying to Nigeria.
Air Peace has a fleet of modern long-haul and regional aircraft that match those of other foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.
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