Travelers have lamented the arbitrary increase in air tickets. The increase which has now caused one-way tickets from Abuja to Lagos to rise above N150,00 has been blamed on the scarcity of aviation fuel also known as Jet A1.
The price of Jet A1 which was N200 in December 2021 is currently sold at N800 per liter. The increase is mostly due to scarcity and the rise in foreign exchange.
A check by Investors King on the booking pages of some domestic airlines shows that a one-way trip from Abuja to Lago on Air peace Airlines costs between 65,000 to 150,000 depending on the flight schedule.
On Air peace, Lagos to Anambra on 23rd of December 2023, goes for N150,000.
Similarly, while a lot of near-date seats have been sold out on MaxAir, medium-distance date ranges between N65,000 to 80,000 nairas.
The same thing goes for Dana Airlines. A check on Dana Airlines shows between N66,000 to N85,000 from Abuja to Lagos on an economy ticket.
According to some industry experts, other factors that are driving the price of air tickets include the demand that often comes with the yuletide period.
Looking at the available seats, it is obvious that many people had already booked seats ahead of the festive period. Additionally, the demand for air tickets was also driven by the political season.
Investors King understands that campaign activities often drive the demand for air tickets as politicians and their supporters move from one state to the other.
Furthermore, the Nigerian aviation industry is faced with high operating costs, taxes, and surcharges.
Airlines also have to pay for landing costs and multiple aviation agencies’ charges among others.
It will be recalled that in February 2022, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) pegged one-way ticket fares to a minimum of N50,000 amid the scarcity and sharp rise in the price of aviation fuel.