Air passengers and industry stakeholders are increasingly concerned that domestic airfares have now exceeded those for some West African destinations. This has created unrest in the sector, exacerbated by ticketing staff collaborating with airport touts, making travel more challenging for passengers.
Booking flights has become notably difficult, with many airlines’ portals showing fully booked flights, especially on the Lagos-Abuja route. Investigations have revealed that airline ticketing officers are working with online touts to hoard tickets, particularly on the day of travel.
This situation has led to significant passenger frustration, with return tickets from Lagos to Abuja sometimes costing as much as N500,000. Airfares have surged, especially during peak periods like the Eid-El-Kabir holiday, where one-way tickets from Lagos to Abuja reached N280,000.
Other routes, such as Lagos-Port Harcourt, are also seeing high prices, with one-way tickets on Ibom Air costing N190,800 and on Air Peace, N171,600. Comparatively, some international flights like Lagos-Accra are cheaper, highlighting the disparity. For example, a one-way ticket on Africa World Airlines (AWA) from Lagos to Accra can cost about N233,000, while Ibom Air and Air Peace charge N266,400 and N229,000 respectively.
Passengers like Simon, who experienced higher costs for domestic flights than international routes, express disbelief at the high domestic fares. The situation is compounded by ticketing staff and touts collaborating to resell tickets at inflated prices, as illustrated by passengers like Emmanuel Andrew John and Abdullahi Ismail, who had to pay exorbitant fees to secure last-minute flights.
Airline operators attribute the high fares to demand and supply imbalances due to grounded aircraft, with over 50% of domestic airlines’ fleets currently out of service. This has forced airlines to reduce their flight frequencies, further driving up prices.
Operators like Capt. Ado Sanusi of Aero Contractors argue that the current pricing is a result of basic economics, with high demand and limited supply pushing prices up. To combat ticket touting, Sanusi suggests linking ticket purchases to BVN (Bank Verification Numbers) to ensure genuine passenger identities.
Industry analysts warn that these high fares are unsustainable and will eventually drive away passengers. They call for government intervention to provide airlines with better access to foreign exchange, reduce taxes, and implement policies that support the aviation industry’s growth.
High airfares are deterring passengers, and there is an urgent need for airlines to lower prices to maintain passenger load and avoid operating at a loss. Despite the reduction in aviation fuel prices, the overall cost of domestic air travel remains a significant concern for the industry.
