Passengers travelling by air from Lagos to various destinations – Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Owerri and Kano – are now switching to the road over the continuous surge in airfares, BusinessDay’s findings show.
The average price for a one-way ticket to any destination has surged by over N150,000 in one year, according to BusinessDay’s price calculations of various domestic airlines.
The average price of a one-way trip from Lagos to Abuja now costs N143,000 as against N51,000 sold last year, indicating a 180.4 percent increase in prices.
On the Abuja to Port Harcourt route, the average price of a flight ticket is N220,434, representing a 389.85 percent jump from N45,000 in the corresponding period of 2023.
Similarly, a one-way trip ticket from Abuja to Enugu, which used to be N90,000 in 2023, is now over N200,000 and more when booked on short notice.
“I now take night buses to Abuja from Enugu owing to the high cost of airfare. Before now, I rarely travelled by road,” said Charles Orizu, a businessman and frequent air traveller.
“Air Peace charges N200,000 on a one-way trip from Enugu to Abuja. This amount is way too high for me,” he noted.
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Emmanuel Kunaiyi, another frequent traveller, said that the recent flight ticket rates have compelled him to reduce travelling by air.
“Flight tickets are extremely high and I understand that the airlines are battling the high cost of aviation fuel, but it is still ridiculously high for an average Nigerian,” Kunaiyi said.
Sarah Wilson, a student of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, who lives in Lagos, said she has stopped travelling by air to school due to the hike in the prices of air tickets.
BusinessDay checks also showed that airlines operating in Nigeria pay a premium on aviation fuel as a result of the cost of demurrage and other logistics.
Nigerian airlines have continued to struggle to carry out seamless flight operations as a result of aviation fuel prices.
The price of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A-1, which cost about N230 to N250 per litre last year, has risen to above N600 across all airports in the country.
Earlier this year at a press conference, Osita Okonkwo, chief operating officer of United Nigeria Airline, had said that the major factors contributing to the increase in flight tickets were charges paid by airlines for the use of the airports in the country, including the high cost of aviation fuel and other charges paid to aviation agencies.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey was N89,432.43 in May 2024, showing an increase of 0.27 percent compared to the previous month April.
On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 19.32 percent from N74,948.78 in May 2023.
North-West recorded the highest fare with N92,228.57, followed by the South-West with N92,083.33. The North-Central had the least with N86,071.43 as seen in the NBS report.
“I can no longer travel by flight to Owerri with my family because of the cost of tickets, which are unaffordable for me. I would rather travel by road which is less expensive,” Amaka Anagor, a business woman, said.
Praise Ujunwa, who is an educator and also a regular traveller, told Businessday that flight tickets have become very expensive and are now quite disturbing.
According to her, the very first time she flew four years ago in December 2020, she paid N27,000 for a ticket. Shortly after, it went up to N40,000, then to N50,000, to N60,000 to N70,000.
As of May 2024 when she travelled from Uyo to Abuja, the price was N90,000.
She noted that about half a million is required for her to book a round-trip from Uyo to Abuja, asking why the average Nigerian would not be able to afford travelling without stress.
Joy Odinaka, an entrepreneur, said that people travel for various reasons such as business meetings, school, and to visit friends and family relations. But with the hike in the price of domestic flight tickets, most travellers will be left with no other choice than to travel by road.
