…Kaduna – Abuja economy-class return ticket over N128, 000
Airfares for local travel between major cities in the country have surged by as much as 100% as Nigerians book tickets ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The spike in airfares has shocked a lot of local travelers as they are told that the reason for the increase in ticket prices is due to the devaluation of the naira.
According to information gathered from the websites of various Nigerian airlines and travel agencies, an Air Peace flight scheduled to take off today, Thursday, 10th December, from Lagos to Abuja, cost as high as N100,528; while from Kaduna to Abuja on the same day is around N128,467 for an economy class ticket.
Also, a flight from Maiduguri to Lagos costs around N128,467, while a return ticket between Lagos and Benin costs around N120,000, while a flight from Lagos to Enugu departing on the 17th to return after Xmas on the 30th sold for N86, 000, but as high as N170, 699.
It was reported that the management of Max Air and Aero Contractors in different interviews, attributed the sudden hike in fare to changes in the exchange rate.
According to the statement from the station Manager of Max Air, Kehinde Ogunyale, the airline increased the fare due to the Dollar to Naira exchange rate and the increase in demand for tickets.
Also in a similar interview, one AbdulMalik Jibril, of Aero Contractors, explained that the high demand for tickets during this period necessitated the increase in fare, coupled with the Dollar to Naira exchange volatility.
Some airlines also reported earlier in the year that the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) had increased Passenger Service Charges by as much as 100% starting August 1.
Stakeholders have said that the airfares for local travel have increased because business travels appear to have dropped significantly as most businesses now rely on on-line applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to hold meetings. This also creates a shortage of passengers for airlines, meaning they have to increase ticket sales to make up for limited roundtrips.
Also, access to forex is also increasingly difficult as the CBN continues to ration dollar supplies. This has pushed demand into the black market worsening the exchange rate situation.
At N100, 000 Nigerians are paying an equivalent of $250 for a trip of less than an hour.
