Delta, Taraba, and Ondo States topped the chart for the highest average fares paid by passengers travelling single routes in November 2023, with averages of N87,000, N86,100, and N86,000, respectively. These figures mark a significant surge in their respective geopolitical zones, as indicated in the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) latest Transport Fare Watch-November 2023 report.
Contrastingly, despite the overall surge in air ticket prices, Abia, Benue, and Abuja recorded the most affordable fares, ranging from N70,100, N75,000, and N75,100, respectively.
In total, the NBS disclosed that the average fare for specified routes within Nigeria escalated by 3.24 percent in October, reaching N81,334.05 in November 2023.
Remarkably, air travel saw a substantial increase both year-on-year and month-on-month. The national data collection agency emphasised that the N81,334.05 average fare not only marked a significant 3.24 percent rise from October’s N78,778.38 but also reflected an 11.1 percent increase from November 2022’s N73,270.27.
As per the report’s executive summary, the NBS stated, “In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes on a single journey was N81,334.05 in November 2023, showing an increase of 3.24% while compared to the previous month (October 2023).”
On a region-by-region basis for a specified route for a single journey, the report revealed that the north-central geopolitical region of the country had the most affordable average transport fare of N77,257.14 in November.
According to the national data-gathering body, this month-on-month figure represented a significant month-on-month increase of 5.02 percent from its October 2023 amount of N73,564.29 and an 8.16 percent year-on-year increase from N71,428.57 recorded in November 2022.
The airfare in the Northeast, Southsouth, and Northwest regions saw notable hikes compared to their November 2022 figures. These areas experienced increases of 12.97 percent, 12.95 percent, and 12.49 percent, rising from N72,850, N74,166.67, and N72,928.57, respectively, to N82,300, N83,768.33, and N82,035.71.
Meanwhile, the Southwest and Southeast regions saw a 10.18 percent and 9.15 percent surge, climbing from N74,300 and N74,520 in November 2022 to N81,866.67 and N81,340 in November 2023.
However, the N81,866.67 and N81,340 recorded in November 2023 for the Southwest and Southeast regions marked a 3.54 percent and 3.82 percent increase from October 2023’s figures of N79,066.67 and N78,350.00.
