• Airfaces across major routes during this festive season have skyrocketed leaving passengers with a tough decision to make amid rising insecurity
• More Nigerians are choosing to travel by air for the fear of being kidnappped by bandits who seems to have taken over inter states roads
• Industry experts have provided insight into the difficulties Nigerians face when travelling by air as airlines contend with limited aircraft

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

Nigerians planning domestic travel during the Yuletide season are facing several hurdles, with soaring airfares emerging as a major challenge for travellers.

Aside from security concerns on road travel, the high cost of airline tickets is now making domestic flights nearly unaffordable for many households.

Before the festive period, domestic air tickets on most routes hovered around N120,000. However, fares have surged by up to 150%, crossing the N300,000 mark on popular routes.

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Ticket prices have been particularly high on flights to the South-South and South-East regions, which experience the highest travel volumes during the holiday season,Punch reports.

Here is a snapshot of domestic airfares

Lagos – Asaba:

• Air Peace – N337,500 (Dec 24–29)
• Aero Contractors – N238,452 (Dec 24)
• United Nigeria Airlines – N399,999

Abuja – Asaba:

• Air Peace – N335,500 (Dec 23–28), N240,000 (Dec 29–31)
• United Nigeria Airlines – N335,499 – N360,499 (Dec 22–26)

Lagos – Enugu:

• Air Peace – N335,500 – N430,700 (Dec 28–29)

Lagos – Calabar:

• Aero Contractors – N151,786 – N187,976 (Dec 22–24)

Lagos – Benin:

• United Nigeria Airlines – N335,499 (Dec 22–30), +N10,000 on Dec 31

Lagos – Port Harcourt:

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Lagos – Anambra:

• United Nigeria Airlines – N399,999 (Dec 17)

Lagos – Owerri:

• United Nigeria Airlines – N335,499 – N499,998 (Dec 16)

Expert speaks on rising airfares

Experts say the surge in airfais is driven by a shortage of serviceable aircraft, limited seat capacity, rising operational costs, and multiple taxation.

Many Nigerian carriers are currently operating with fewer than 40 active aircraft, far below national demand.

President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria, Dr Alex Nwuba, confirmed that airlines are currently faced with capacity shortfalls

He said:

“Airline capacity shortfalls often contribute to higher fares during festive periods.”

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Former Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Harold Demuren, appealed to the Federal Government to do whatever is possible to support Nigerian operators to achieve more capacity.

Demuren noted:

“The Nigerian government needs to protect the local carriers. You can’t be wrong supporting your own.”

FAAN introduces cashless payment at Nigerian Airports

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has rolled out a cashless payment system across its operations, beginning with the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja,

FAAN said the initiative, branded “Operations Go Cashless,” will replace cash transactions at access gates, car parks and VIP lounges.

FAAN officials have expressed excitement about the cashless system and believe it would improve service quality.

Source: Legit.ng