Nigeria’s renowned airline, Air Peace, has commenced its Lagos-London flight operations.
The airline announced its inaugural flight in a post via its X (formerly Twitter) page on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Air Peace expressed delight at the milestone and appreciated everyone who contributed to the success of the launch.
The post reads: “London service has commenced and we’re delighted to have achieved yet another feat in our drive to continually provide peaceful connectivity across cities.
“A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this launch.”
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anita, were present at the inaugural flight to London.
Hours later, Air Peace’s first-ever comfortable Boeing 777 aircraft direct flight from Nigeria to the UK safely arrived at Gatwick Airport, London.
This landmark achievement is a significant milestone for Nigerians and solidifies Air Peace’s position as a pioneering airline in Africa.
The London trip comes a month after the Nigerian flag carrier said it would commence direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London.
In November 2023, Air Peace secured a foreign carrier operator permit (FCOP) to fly into the United Kingdom (UK.)
However, the airline could not kick off operations on the route due to challenges with slot allocation at the destination airport.
Prior to this, Keyamo had engaged the UK government to actualise direct flights from Lagos to London and to facilitate a partnership between Air Peace and NORSE Atlantic Airways for the operations of the Lagos-London flights.
A video of the aircraft landing at Gatwick airport saw many notable Nigerians on board.