ROUTES AFRICA: British Airways Outlines Ambitions for Port Harcourt Route

British Airways (BA) could use some of the slots at London Heathrow that it secured following the recent acquisition of rival bmi British Midland International by its parent International Consolidated Airline Group (IAG) to expand its offering in Nigeria, subject to securing additional traffic rights into the African country. Speaking to local journalists, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Keith Williams, revealed this week that the country’s largest cities are vital to the airline’s future network strategy.

The UK carrier currently has rights to fly daily services from London Heathrow to both Abuja and Lagos but according to Keith Williams, Port Harcourt’s in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria is another destination under consideration. “Nigeria clearly is a huge market for BA, having served there for 75 years. BA has a commitment to Lagos and Abuja to serve them better and would also include more routes so as to satisfy more customers,” he said.

But developing business trade in Port Harcourt means that the destination is been identified as a potential addition to the network map. “BA is in the business of connecting major cities around the globe with Heathrow. In Nigeria, these are the three major cities which are also important to us,” said Keith Williams.

For this to be achieved BA will require changes to the current bilateral agreement between the UK and Nigeria but unless the African country’s carriers can gain more access at capacity constrained London Heathrow, they are unlikely to be open to discussions. The relationship between the two sides is already strained after ArikAir was forced to suspend its daily Abuja – London route after it was unable to secure the necessary arrival and delivery slots at London Heathrow to make the route sustainable.