During a conference in Lagos, Nigeria, local airline operators reached a unanimous decision to hike tickets by 100 percent starting the next week, March 1. The increase will be applied to all positions.
In accordance with the decision taken by all domestic airlines, the cheapest economy ticket for an hour trip is now available for 50,000 naira, as opposed to the previous 22,000 naira price. Several signs point to the fact that certain airlines have already finalized some of the rates that will be in effect on March 1.
In a recent investigation, it was discovered that an economy class domestic ticket on Max Air from Jos to Abuja from March 1, 2020 sells for ₦50,000, while Green Africa Airlines’ Lagos to PortHarcourt flight sells for ₦35,000, as compared to the existing cost of ₦16,500.
Green Africa will offer tickets from Owerri to Abuja for ₦35,000 Naira, while Air Peace would sell seats from Lagos to Abuja for ₦50,000 Naira. Similarly, Air Peace would offer Lagos to Benin roundtrip tickets for a total of ₦105,000.
The Azman Air travel from Abuja to Kano on the same March 1 will cost ₦50,000, while the Overland Airways flight from Akure to Abuja will cost the same ₦50,000 as the Azman Air flight. Other carriers, such as Dana, Ibom Air, and Aero Contractors, will boost their ticket costs by a whopping 100 percent, as well.
Remember that the airlines, acting under the auspices of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), released a statement in which they expressed their dissatisfaction with the present high cost of aviation fuel.
“Aviation gasoline costs more than N410 per litre in Lagos, N422 in Abuja and Port Harcourt, and N429 in Kano, while the dollar, which sells for between N580 and N600, is in limited supply,” they stated.
The airlines also voiced their displeasure with the “Inability to get foreign currency for the purchase of replacement parts and maintenance. Airlines do the majority of their business in dollars, which are now selling for between N580 and N600 a dollar and are in low supply. Nigeria’s local airlines are engaged in a “life-or-death” fight to get the foreign currency they need to purchase the spare components they require to service their aircraft.”
“This has a significant effect on how soon a grounded aircraft can be repaired and returned to service, which in turn has a significant impact on the schedule dependability of domestic carriers,” according to AON.
As of the time of posting this story, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Body, NCAA, the country’s civil aviation regulatory authority, has not published a comment on the new pricing structure. However, according to a source inside the authority, airfares have subsequently been “deregulated by the NCAA, allowing market forces to decide pricing.”
“The NCAA only intervenes when an airline fixes absurdly cheap tickets. Because airline operations are capital demanding, it is possible that the safety standard may be compromised “