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BASA Agreement: Nigeria Warns Britain
11/07/11
BASA Agreement: Nigeria Warns Britain
*BASA Agreement: Nigeria Warns Britain
.....Arik Air cries for justice, as minister warns BA and Virgin Atlantic over airfares.
By Nosa Osula-Aituamen
One of the Nigerian airlines, Arik Air has petitioned the National Assembly over the Bi-lateral Air Services Agreement with Britain.
The airline in its petition to the two Committees on aviation in the upper and lower chambers of the House accused Britain of depriving Nigerian airlines from benefitting from the BASA agreement.
At a news conference in Lagos, Chairman of the Arik Airline, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide said the British Authority had refused them slots into their airports from Abuja which was a violation of the agreement signed between both countries.
He noted that both countries have 21 slots each as signed in the agreement but while Britain was making use of their slots freely, Nigerian airlines were made to pay for the use of their slots.
The chairman further explained that the airline was given seven slots from Lagos to London and another seven slots for Abuja to London, adding that the airline even went further to ask for seven weekly slots but that Arik Air was told that other carriers were interested in that. ( Continues below..... )
Photo Above: Map of Nigeria showing some major cities, including the Federal capital (Abuja or FCT)
In all he explained that Nigeria was to operate 21 slots into Britain while Britain do same in Nigeria.
He lamented that when it was time for them to fly from Abuja to London; the British government told them that there are no slots and that at that point the airline has to rent slots from the British Midland International (BMI) at £1.4 million between 2009 and 2010 during winter, adding that the airline paid an initial deposit of £600,000.
He further explained that the airline pays £52,250,000 monthly to BMI and after the expiration of that, the company increased it from £52,250,000 monthly to £90,000 per month and that when the airline tried to negotiate the amount, BMI refused to shift ground.
Sir Arumemi-Ikhide emphasized when efforts to reason with the Department of Transportation in that country failed, the airline had to suspend its Abuja-London flights as the operational cost was too heavy for them to bear.
He appealed to the Federal Government to rise up and be resolute in protecting the interest of its people and businesses, adding that the BASA agreement must be reviewed to avoid discrepancies. ( Continues below..... )
Photo Above: A landing Arik Plane
According to, “What they are simply telling us is that we should ask our government to protect the carriers from Nigeria. We in Arik feel bad because they do not have respect for our country”
Sir Arumemi-Ikhide said that a meeting has been scheduled between the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria to discuss the issue with a view to finding a lasting solution to the lopsidedness in the BASA agreement.
In a swift reaction, the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah says the Federal Government would no longer tolerate the inequitable treatment meted out to Arik Air in denying its fleet access into Heathrow Airport from Abuja.
She noted in a statement that as a result, the airline had been compelled to discontinue its flight operations from Abuja to Heathrow which had impacted negatively on the passengers on this route. ( Continues below….. )
According to the aviation minister, steps are also being taken to stop the discriminatory and unacceptable prices of air fares between the Lagos-London and Abuja-London Routes, which had created Regional fare disparity and imbalance.
She identified British Airways and Virgin Atlantic as those promoting the imbalance. According to her, the Ministry condemns this practice in its totality and would take all necessary action to protect Nigerian citizens from exploitation that arises from a price regime that was highly restrictive and discriminatory.
Princess Oduah noted that the Lagos-London Route is one of the highest and most lucrative yields and ought to attract one of the lowest fares in the region.
She assured Nigerians that appropriate action is being taken in this regard to redress the situation.
Nosa Osula-Aituamen (Aviationreport)
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7 comments
It will b a national economic lost § a political assult on Nigeria if this menance is not promptly dealt with. This dubious colonial idiots wants to repeat history of slavery. Pls minister do everything within § beyond your power to have a redress of the Basa agreement, so that Nigeria airlines will not be working like an Elephant § eat like Ant while the British are geting fatter at the expense of Nigeria as a means to their end without a corresponding action. 
To me british govt hates anything that comes from south East Nigeria, but this is time to stop that hatred and discrimination 
This is unfair.By not allowing the airline from Nigeria to operate according to the signed agreement while they are exploiting the signed agreement is a cheating. Nigeria is a poor country with less than 1 PERCent in world trade while Britain and America combined are having more than 50 Percent of the world trade are still indulging in this bad practices against undeveloped countries, how can we ever develope then? First we buy rhe aircraft from them ,there by in securing jobs for their citizens and now they can not even give us a slot in the airport. It is good we now know who they are. What and see their next step will be to try and breib the officials , so that the house-commitee will drop this case. and there by interefing against the interest of Nigeria and her people I have once said ,Britain is not in love with Nigeria, for them we are playing the same game of survival like them and if they get Nigeria out of they way it is better for them. And tommorow they will say we are a poor country and wonder why so many Nigerians are driven by poverty to their country.Please Minister stand by the truth and be careful ,so that they do not send their secret agents to you.I call this the game of destroing Africa.Thank you once again for letting us know
Don't you guys get it? They are reading the trend of changes in Nigeria; they are aware that this country has a will and doggedness to become a game-changer on the international scene. So, they want to crush you psychologically. Therefore, arise O Nigerians and tell them the piece off your minds. Tell the British Airways to pay the same amount of money Nigerian Airways have been paying. What is Jonathan waiting for? He should tell them, 'enough is enough' unless he is a weakling. 
My country should wake up, i dont see reason why we should be given hundred dirty slaps before we wake up from slumber,, our president ,, our aviation minister wake up and hit back the colonial idiots, stupid, they think they`re only people with criminal brain, i feel so bad while reading the piece. May God bless our Nation 
One more of these "poor us, everyone is after us" articles and I am going to cry. Every single airlint that flies from and to London Heathrow has to either buy or lease their slots. Including British Airways. Including Arik. Only Arik wants the slots for free. Which would be fine if any were available. What should be done? Robbing somene of their slots to give them to Arik? Why doesn't Arik fly into London Gatwick, Stansted or Luton? Other carriers do. The agreement between the UK and Nigeria is not airport specific... Arik, stop your whining and put your wallet where your mouth is 
For many years, Nigerians living in Houston and Southern United States have been ripped off by the European airlines that charge rediculous fees to transport Nigerians to the Africa's most populous country. For many years now, Nigerians have been paying over $1,800.00 to fly to Europe, then to Nigeria. With the Continental $829.00 direct flght from Houston to Lagos, Nigerians will be saving huge sums of money and time. Thank God for the Continent Airlines. We are free at last. 
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