Domestic airline tickets have increased by 218% in just six months, a result of both increased demand for travel and high operating costs.
Many Nigerians have been forced to postpone their Christmas vacations due to the exorbitant cost of tickets; some are choosing to travel by car in order to save money.
In June 2024, the average airfare on popular routes, including Lagos-Abuja, was N89,888, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). But by December, the price had risen to N285,000, a 218 percent gain in just six months.
On December 20, 2024, a major airline published a one-way economy ticket for the Abuja-Owerri route for N143, 000; however, it was later reduced to ₦285,800.
There have also been significant price rises on the Abuja-Port Harcourt route; for example, a major airline now charges ₦285,800 for an economy ticket on December 20.
For a December 20 flight, THE NEWS CHRONICLES discovered that certain airlines charged between N114, 000 and N220,000 for the Abuja-Lagos route; however, industry participants predict that this will surpass N285,000 in the days ahead.
Some airlines charged between N190,095 and N210,000 for flights on December 17 to 19, 2024, while others priced a one-way journey from Abuja to Port Harcourt at ₦237,714 on December 20.
Effect on Travellers
Passengers are struggling with the high expense of air travel as a result of the steep price hikes, particularly when demand surges around the holidays. Many Nigerians now consider domestic air travel to be a luxury due to the escalating fares caused by rising operating costs and insecurity in some areas.
As many Nigerians get ready to fly for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, the spike in airfares also occurs during the holiday season, when demand for domestic flights is at its peak. Passengers who intend to travel near the end of the year are likely to experience severe financial hardship as a result of this price increase.
A disgruntled traveler attacked the government for ignoring the cost of air travel.
Impact of Exchange Rates
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, commented on airfare costs, stating that the exchange rate affects all facets of flying, including routine maintenance like replacing a tire bolt.
Keyamo said the government will assist domestic airlines in purchasing aircraft at a discounted price in order to lower ticket rates.
“What we are doing is ensuring that they are exposed to markets around the world where they can evaluate aeroplanes on extremely favourable conditions. This will have an influence on ticket prices and operating costs,” he explained.
Nigerians abroad leverage weak naira
As flights from Europe, London, and the US continue to be completely booked, Nigerians living abroad are taking advantage of the weaker naira to travel to Nigeria for Christmas.
In order to handle the surge of travellers this Christmas, some airlines have also expanded their capacity.
On its route from New York JFK to Lagos, Delta Air Lines has begun operating daily nonstop flights. This will go on until February 2025, having started in December 2024.
Delta switched from the Airbus A330-200, which could transport 223 passengers, to the larger Airbus A330-900neo, which could carry 281 passengers, at this time.
“This is exciting,” stated Mary Gbobaniyi, Delta’s West Africa head of sales. “Adding more flights to Nigeria’s market could not have come at a better moment. Increased capacity and a larger aircraft mean more options and an elevated experience for our customers.”
Additionally, between December 4, 2024, and February 14, 2025, United Airlines expanded its service between Lagos and Washington, D.C., from three weekly to daily flights. This indicates that the number of seats for this period has increased by 133% year over year.
In addition to being the only flight from Lagos to the United States that departs at night, United’s service between Lagos and Washington, D.C., will now run every day for the first time.
Former NANTA president Akporaiye told reporters that although the number of Nigerians in Canada is increasing, it still falls short of that of the United States and London, which have the highest concentrations of Nigerians worldwide.
According to her, this explains why all flights from London and Europe are packed up around this time.
However, she said that several airlines had restricted Nigerian travel agencies from issuing tickets in naira due to the present currency rate.
Eight months ago, it cost N800,000 to N1.3 million. Today, the average cost is N2.65 million on Egypt Air, N3 million on RwandAir, N3.7 million on Lufthansa, N3.9 million on Qatar Airways, N3.25 million on Turkish Airlines, and N3.5 million on Emirates, KLM, and Air France.
Tickets for Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, which have direct flights from London to Lagos, cost roughly N4.6 million and N4.2 million, respectively.
