Travellers Panic over Imminent Outrageous Airfares as Christmas Approaches

Chinedu Eze There are strong indications that domestic airlines will introduce outrageous airfares as Christmas holiday approaches, a development that is already creating panic among domestic air travellers. This happens every year as Christmas holiday has become the highest season of the year when many Nigerians travel to their homes of origin to celebrate the Yuletide and the New Year with their relatives. Airlines over the years tend to increase the cost of tickets to destinations such as Port Harcourt, Benin, Calabar, Owerri, Enugu, Warri, Asaba, Anambra, and even other destinations in the South West like Akure and Ibadan. Road travel has become less attractive due to insecurity and the fact that some critical road infrastructure linking the South East and the South West from other parts of the country are dilapidated. This, many believed, would increase the number of people that travel by air and as demand increases, the price of air tickets will also increase. Reports indicate that the highest cost of flight ticket from Lagos to most of the South East destination during the Christmas season of 2025 was about N499, 998 for one-way economy ticket; while return trips on related South East festive routes exceeded N700, 000. Also, during the Christmas season of 2024, peak flight ticket prices from Lagos to Owerri and other South East destinations reached N450, 000 to 500, 000 for single one-way economy ticket. The high cost of airfares seemed to have pitted airlines against travellers who complained bitterly against the astronomical rise in fares. Many of the travellers wondered why fares to South East and South South destinations were so high, but airlines explained and insisted that it simply followed the law of demand and supply. However, there are indications that fares my not increase as it did in the last two years because there are more players in the market. Since 2024, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has registered four news airlines and these include Enugu Air, Binani Air, 3 Horizons Nigeria Limited and MCM Jets Limited. These are in addition to the relatively new entrants like Xejet, ValueJet, which have operated for about four years. In addition, some airlines have added more aircraft in their fleet and these include Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines, Ibom Air, ValueJet, Cally Air (operated by ValueJet) and Aero Contractors. These additions may mean that there would be more seats to serve air travellers and when supply is meeting demand, price is tamed. THISDAY spoke to the image maker of Air Peace, Mr. Osifo-Whiskey Efe, who said that the airline has not increased fares since August and the airline has not received any reports against its fares, which means travellers are okay with the fares. “We have maintained the same fares since August and this is November. However, I know that at some point it may change but so far, so good,” he said. However, speaking on behalf of United Nigeria, Chibuike Uloka, told THISDAY that with more airlines, it is true there will be competition but there is always competition in the market, noting that more entrants in the market cannot guarantee lower fares. “There has always been competition in the aviation market, even before the recent entrants. While more airlines are joining the industry, I do not necessarily see this translating into significantly lower fares during the Christmas season. The reality is that festive-season pricing is largely driven by demand, operational costs and the peculiar travel pattern during that period. Airlines are not going to operate at a loss simply to attract passengers, particularly when they are still trying to establish themselves in the market. “Christmas travel, especially to the South-East and South-South, is largely a one-way traffic phenomenon. Airlines may have passengers flying into these destinations in large numbers, but the likelihood of returning with significantly fewer passengers, or even operating near-empty flights, is high. That imbalance has to be factored into their pricing. “Ultimately, I believe the issue goes beyond competition. The bigger challenge is the high cost of airline operations. Until those costs come down, increased competition alone may not deliver the significant reduction in the airfares during the festive-season that many passengers are hoping for,” Uloka said. Industry consultant and former Rector, the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Capt. Samuel Caulcrick, told THISDAY that in a healthy market, increased competition (more airlines) drives prices down. However, in Nigeria, airlines are not competing on efficiency; they are struggling against crushing systemic costs that establish a very high “price floor” below which they cannot legally or operationally survive. He noted that high cost of capital, heavy taxation, and a severe scarcity of foreign exchange mean that simply adding more domestic airlines to the Nigerian airspace will not drive down ticket prices—especially during the December peak season when demand surges in one direction. Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Secretary, Aviation Round Table (ART), Olu Fidel Ohunayo, noted that competition among the airlines would not bring down the fares during the period but it could be better than what happened last year. Ohunayo said there should be more efficient use of the facilities at the airports; to have them open beyond 6:00 pm during the peak season. He said that if the airports operate into the night, it would enable more airlines to bring passengers in the night. This will help to eliminate flight cancellations, especially to the Eastern destinations. He expressed happiness on the resolution of the protracted impasse between the federal government and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), the operators of MMA2, expressing hope that the terminal will open more ramp space for more airlines to board passengers at the terminal.