Gatwick Airport  welcomes Air Peace with new direct flight to Abuja, strengthens Africa hub status

London Gatwick Airport has expanded its network of direct flights to Africa with the launch of a new service to Abuja, Nigeria, operated by Air Peace.

This new route reinforces the airport’s position as a key UK gateway to the continent.

The service, which commenced on October 28, is Air Peace’s second route from Gatwick, complementing its existing daily flight to Lagos.

The Abuja flight will operate three times weekly from the South Terminal, providing flexible options for business and leisure travellers.

This expansion follows a exceptionally busy period for Gatwick’s African routes.

The airport reported over 670,000 passengers travelled to 20 African destinations in the third quarter alone—a 9% increase from 2024 and a massive 96% growth since 2019.

With the addition of Abuja, passengers can now fly directly to 21 African destinations, including popular hubs like Nairobi, Entebbe, and Addis Ababa.

Airport and airline leadership highlighted the significance of the new route.

Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer at London Gatwick, stated, “Air Peace’s continued growth here not only shows the success of the Lagos route but also demonstrates the airline’s strong commitment to enhancing links between London and Africa.

This new flight will be a significant benefit to the large Nigerian community in London and the South East, as well as business travellers and holidaymakers.”

Echoing this enthusiasm, Nowel Ngala, Chief Commercial Officer at Air Peace, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to expand our UK services with this new Abuja flight. It reinforces Nigeria-UK ties and supports our broader goal of providing seamless travel between Africa and the world.”

Passengers on the new route benefit from convenient domestic connections within Nigeria, a generous baggage allowance, and competitive fares, all delivered with renowned Nigerian hospitality.

Ultimately, the new Abuja service is a strategic step that will boost trade, tourism, and cultural exchange, while providing the Nigerian diaspora with more convenient travel options and enhancing the overall travel experience for all passengers.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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