Bellview Now Flies Direct To London
 8th JAN 2007

Bellview Airlines has received Foreign Airline Operating Permit from the government of the United Kingdom (UK), paving way for the airline's commencement of non-stop scheduled flight services between Lagos and London. This is coming on the heels of the airline's recent designation on the Lagos - United Kingdom (UK) route by the Federal Government.

The government has held the re-negotiation of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) in October, where Nigerian designated carriers on the UK route, Virgin Nigeria and Arik, participated. The successful renegotiation of BASA has allowed the country to remedy what industry watchers see as 'gross in-balance' in favour of UK airlines.

In a statement in Lagos, the airline announced the merger of the services of Bellview Sierra Leone and Bellview Nigeria, which enables the airline to offer direct flights from Lagos to London Heathrow. With Bellview SL already in Heathrow, these direct flights will terminate at the choice Terminal Two in Heathrow Airport.

"Terminal Two is most convenient for international passengers who desire easy connection flights to other European destinations. Major carriers, including KLM, Air France, Alitalia, Swissair all operate out of Terminal Two to destinations across Europe. It's good for Bellview passengers to be in such good company," Mr. Habib Mohammed, Bellview's head of Corporate Affairs said.

According to him, Bellview's London bound passengers can now enjoy reduced flight time and arrive in London early, in daylight, to exploit rest of the day business period or connect flights to other destinations if they so desired.

The struggle by the management of the airline to operate direct flights to London dates back to 10 years in 1995 when Bellview started operating into Amsterdam and is marked by a significant progress in 2005 when the airline came up with a creative structure to serve London-Heathrow through Freetown in Sierra Leone.

A source close to the airline, while describing the permit as "most welcome", thanked the Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, for working "assiduously to redress the long standing in-balance in the operation of Bilateral Air Services Agreements between Nigeria and other nations skewed in favour of foreign carriers, against the nation's economic interest."

Bellview, an IATA member airline, was the first airline to operate Airbus A300-600 aircraft in Nigeria after the national carrier and the first privately owned airline to do so in Africa. Its A300-600R commenced operations to Brazil, India and Kenya in November 1997. Between 1998 and 2000, Bellview operated long haul flights into Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Bellview currently operates with a fleet of four Boeing B737-200s, one Boeing B737-300 and two wide-body B767-200ERs.

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