Domestic Flights Become Luxury as Flight Ticket Prices Soar to N500K Ahead of Christmas, New Year

• Lawmakers and passengers have condemned the sharp rise in domestic airfares across all airlines as Nigerians prepare for the Yuletide travels
• One-way tickets on some Nigerian routes now cost between N400,000 and N700,000, sparking public outrage and Senate debate
• Airlines insist they have not raised fares beyond last year’s levels, blaming empty return flights and uneven operating costs across airports

Lawmakers and air travellers across Nigeria are expressing growing frustration over the steep rise in domestic airfares, especially during the festive season.

At a recent Senate plenary, several senators narrated their shock at the cost of travelling by air within the country.

Senator Onyekachi of Ebonyi North revealed that a one-way ticket from Abuja to Enugu costs as much as N500,000 on one airline and N460,000 on another, a price he described as unprecedented.

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Others echoed similar experiences: Senator Adamu Aliero said a trip to Kebbi would cost him nearly N700,000, while Senator Abdulfatai Buhari noted that flights from Abuja to Lagos now range between N400,000 and N650,000, with other domestic routes also hitting record highs.

The outrage has spilt onto social media, where passengers questioned whether airlines were exploiting insecurity on Nigerian roads to justify inflated fares.

Some travellers described the prices as “wicked” and unfair, particularly for flights lasting less than an hour.

An airline passenger, FS Yusuf, who was reacting to the cost of a flight from Lagos to Owerri via Air Peace for December 13, which was N499,998, said: “This is pure wickedness and so unfair. How can a flight of less than one hour be N500,000?”

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The sense of public anger has been heightened by the perception that air travel, once considered a relatively accessible alternative, is fast becoming a luxury reserved for a few.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, responded by stating that the government lacks the authority to regulate prices set by private airlines.

However, industry stakeholders argue that this position ignores the heavy financial burden imposed by government agencies through taxes, charges, and levies, which significantly influence ticket prices.

Taxes, fuel costs and economics of flying

Airline operators insist that high fares are not driven by greed but by the harsh realities of operating in Nigeria.

Domestic and foreign airlines reportedly pay more than 50 different charges to agencies such as the NCAA, FAAN, NAMA and FIRS. According to the Airline Operators of Nigeria, up to 18 separate taxes can be embedded in a single ticket, making government levies a major contributor to high fares.

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United Nigeria Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Raphael Uchegbu, defended the pricing structure, noting that fares on some routes still fall between N95,000 and N125,000.

He argued that festive season pricing reflects demand-and-supply dynamics, particularly the problem of empty return flights during Christmas, when planes often fly back without passengers.

Despite the backlash, airlines maintain that fares have not increased compared to the previous year.

Instead, they argue that without relief from multiple taxes and high operating costs, affordable air travel will remain elusive for most Nigerians.

Source: Legit.ng