Airlines raise fares by 48% ahead flight resumption

Domestic airlines have raised fares by almost 50 percent ahead of flight resumption on July 8.

The Federal Government had shut down all airports across the country four months ago to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

However, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will be reopened for domestic flights from July 8.

BusinessDay’s check of airfares ahead of the flight resumption shows that a one-way ticket from Lagos to major destinations such as Abuja, Port Harcourt or Owerri which cost between N22,000 and N28,000 now costs between N33,000 and N41,000, indicating a 48 percent increase.

For instance, a one-way ticket from Lagos to Abuja on Arik Air costs N32,699; for Dana it costs N35,099, and on AirPeace it costs N40,299.

Also ahead of resumption of flight operations, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has released new procedural guidelines for air travelers and other airport users.

The new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is aimed at protecting all stakeholders and preventing further spread of the Covid-19 virus, Henrietta Yakubu, general manager, corporate affairs, FAAN, said in a statement.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.