Given that some one-way tickets starting on December 18, 2024, sell for almost N287,000, certain local airlines have raised their fares to the South-South and South-East regions of Nigeria by more than 100%.
Due to the increasing demand for tickets, airfares are typically increased during the Yuletide rush. However, travellers claim that this season’s airfares are unaffordable due to several economic difficulties.
The PUNCH checked the websites of several airlines and found that, in comparison to pre-Yuletide pricing, airfares have soared by more than 100%, especially to the South-South and South-East regions.
According to a flight search on Air Peace‘s booking website, a one-way economy ticket from Lagos to Asaba, Delta State, went from N97,400 on December 5 to N287,800 on December 18. The airline intends to keep this rate in place till the year’s end.
On December 5, Air Peace’s fare from Abuja to Asaba was N95,400; by December 16, it was N285,800.
In Edo State, the price of Lagos to Benin remained at N95,000 during the Yuletide, but by December 16, Abuja to Benin had increased from N95,000 to N285,800.
By December 15, the airline intends to offer tickets from Lagos to Calabar for N162,000, and by December 22, the price would have increased to N181,000.
Air Peace also scheduled Abuja-Anambra for N95,000 as of December 5, but raised it to N285,800 by December 23.
For Enugu, a flight ticket to the state from Lagos was sold for N95,000 as of December 5 but increased to N285,800 from December 19. Although the price increased to N381,100 on the 20th, it was returned to N285,800 from 21st to 29th December.
Additionally, as of December 5, Air Peace had set the price for Abuja to Anambra at N95,000; however, on December 23, that price had been increased to N285,800.
As of December 5, the price of a plane ticket from Lagos to Enugu was N95,000; however, on December 19, that price rose to N285,800. From December 21 to 29, the price dropped back to N285,800, despite rising to N381,100 on the 20th.
As of the 5th, the same price was charged for flights from Abuja to Enugu, but the airline’s website states that the fare will increase to N285,800 from the 21st to the 29th of the same month.
The cost of travelling from Lagos to Owerri, the capital of Imo State, began at N95,400 on December 5 and will rise to N381,000 by December 29.
The starting price from Abuja to Owerri was N95,000 as well, but from the 17th to the 30th of the month, it increased to N285,000.
In contrast, a one-way economy ticket on Ibom Air from Lagos to Uyo on December 16–17 will set you back N152,700.
On December 18th, 19th, and 20th, Valuejet will also sell a one-way economy ticket from Lagos to Port Harcourt for N164,761.
The managing director of Nigeria’s oldest aviation company, Aero Contractors, Ado Sanus, recently claimed that the company’s costs for local flights have been slashed to an average of N80,000, despite increases in airline fares.
Sanusi said during a news conference that the cut was the company’s way of showing gratitude to Nigerian passengers during the difficult period, which also happened to be the holiday season.
All of its destinations, including Abuja, Asaba, Benin City, Calabar, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Lagos, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Uyo, and Sokoto, will be affected by the cut, according to the airline.
Even with the ticket fares being reduced to an average of N80,000, the airline will still turn a little profit, the MD of Aero Contractors added.
