By
Dr. Soji Amusan.Today, Sunday the 26th of October 2025, will go into the annals of Nigerian aviation history as a special day, a so-called D-day. This is the day when Air Peace, Nigeria’s foremost international airline, makes it’s debut in London Heathrow airport, with it’s maiden flight from Abuja. Such day is considered in the aviation industry industry globally as special. For us in Nigeria, it is even more special as the nation is celebrating 100 years of aviation in the country.
The stakeholders in the industry are planning elaborate celebrations, which include a grand get-together on first December at Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The theme of the occasion is, “100 Years of Aviation in Nigeria – the Pains, the the Gains and the Progress”. Veterans in the various professions within the industry, relevant companies and individuals in business and academia have been invited to deliberate on the theme. The honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development is the Chief Host.
Inauguration in the airline industry is not peculiar only to the first flight of an airline. It could be celebrated for the first passenger flight on brand-new aircraft model or the debut of a new service such as a new first-class cabin in an aircraft already in service. However, an inaugural flight is the very first flight of a new airline route.
It will be recalled that this is not the first time that Air Peace will be flying from Nigeria to Britain. On the 30th March 2024, it made it’s inaugural to London but the journey was to Gatwick airport, a new route entirely. Today, London Heathrow will have again the taste of a Nigerian flag Carrier after 22 years of Nigeria Airways and 13 years of Arik Airline. In effect, British Airways (BA) will have again, direct competition on the route after 13 years of quiet operations.
In the airline tradition, Murtala Muhammed Airport will be agog with pre-flight festivities like speeches from government, industry regulators and the airline chief executive. On board, after the historical take-off, passengers will be treated to special perks which may include cherished national menus, commemorative souvenirs and more personal interactions with cockpit and cabin crews in impeccable uniform and the airline CEO.
On touch-down at Heathrow, there might be the so-called “Water Canon Salute”, a tradition popularised at Salt Lake International in USA as one of the airports that introduced it in the 1990’s.
Today is also a very unique one for LHR. As the UK is changing to Winter Time Schedule, setting the clock one hour behind, the airport is receiving for the first time in history or at least for a very long time, three new long haul flights in one single day. Riyahd Airline of Saudi Arabia, Indigo Air of India and Air Peace Airline of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will make their debuts there.
So, as Air Peace, Nigeria’s foremost international airline touches down at 16.30hrs (LT), with Boeing 777-200 ER flight number P-47576, Nigeria’s foremost aviation professional association, the Aviation Round Table (ART), will be among the Nigerians at Heathrow, waving with pride the Nigerian flag in jubilation.
And as many of us are won’t to sing in Nigeria, on memorable occasions like this, “To God be the glory”. Congratulations to Dr. Allen Onyema, the patriotic and benevolent CEO of the airline and his team.
Soji Amusan, PhD, DBA (Honoris Causa) is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Aviation Round Table (ART).
