Soaring domestic airfares disrupt Christmas travel plans across Nigeria

Christmas travel plans are being altered in many Nigerian homes as domestic airfares continue to rise beyond the reach of hundreds of thousands of families.

Efforts by federal lawmakers and some government agencies to rein in the escalating costs have so far yielded no tangible results.

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) announced that it has expanded the scope of its ongoing investigation into the pricing templates used by some domestic airlines, with a view to determining possible violations of consumer protection laws.

Despite persistent security challenges on some highways, poor road conditions, multiple checkpoints and the threat of banditry factors that have made road travel unattractive for many, a significant number of travellers are still opting to fly, regardless of the cost.

Findings show that while the surge in fares cuts across most domestic routes, flights from Lagos and Abuja to the South East including Enugu, Owerri, Onitsha and Abakaliki as well as South-South destinations such as Benin, Asaba, Port Harcourt, Calabar and Uyo, are among the most expensive.

This trend persists despite the entry of new operators such as Pioneer Air, Enugu Air/Xejet Airlines, Binani Airlines and UMZA Airlines into the market.

One-way tickets on several routes now range between ₦300,000 and ₦600,000, compared to previous averages of between ₦150,000 and ₦250,000.

As a result, a family of five travelling from Lagos to Enugu would need about ₦1.5 million at an average fare of ₦300,000 per passenger.

Checks on airline booking portals revealed that seats for flights from Lagos to Asaba for today were already fully booked.

The next available flight on the same airline is on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at a fare of ₦432,700. Similar fare levels were recorded for Lagos–Enugu and Lagos–Port Harcourt flights, with tickets selling for over ₦430,000.

In contrast, bus fares from the Oshodi Transport Interchange in Lagos to South East destinations were below ₦30,000 as of yesterday. Some air travellers were even considering shared limousine or fractional charter services from the airport as alternative options.

Airline operators and travel industry stakeholders say the surge in fares is driven largely by market forces. Group Managing Director of FinchGlow Holdings, Bankole Bernard, said expectations of a reduction in fares during the festive season are unrealistic due to the sharp increase in passenger demand.

Bernard explained that the “Detty December” phenomenon has distorted pricing across several sectors, including air travel, hotels, e-hailing services, short-let apartments and event services.

He attributed high airfares to supply and demand imbalances, compounded by heavy government taxes, multiple levies and high operating costs, particularly dollar-denominated expenses such as fuel and aircraft leasing.

According to him, these pressures are forcing airlines to prioritise revenue yield over passenger volume, selling fewer seats at higher prices to remain afloat.

He called on the government to reduce charges and manage airports more efficiently to help bring down airfares.