Passengers seek alternative as airlines quote new price for one-way tickets

• As airfares continue to rise, more passengers across different locations are opting to take the road instead of fly
• This is as the rise in the cost of the expense of demurrage and other logistics associated with running an airline
• In addition to this, the price of aviation gasoline, also known as Jet A-1, has risen to more than N600

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Travellers from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Owerri, and Kano are now choosing to take the road instead of flying due to the ongoing increase in airfares.

Nigerian airlines have experienced difficulties in carrying out faultless flight operations as a result of growing aviation fuel costs. Photo Credit: Anchiy
Source: Getty Images

Using data from multiple domestic airlines, BusinessDay calculated the average price of a one-way ticket to any destination, and the results showed an increase of nearly N150,000 in only a single year.

The average cost of a one-way travel from Lagos to Abuja is currently N143,000, up from N51,000 sold the previous year, representing a 180.4% price rise.

Similarly, the average cost of a plane ticket on the Abuja to Port Harcourt route is N220,434, which is 389.85% more than it was N45,000 during the same period in 2023.

In a similar vein, a one-way ticket from Abuja to Enugu, which cost N90,000 in 2023, now costs at least N200,000 when purchased in a short notice.

Charles Orizu, a businessman and frequent air traveler told the medium,

“I now take night buses to Abuja from Enugu owing to the high cost of airfare. Before now, I rarely travelled by road.”.

He noted,

“Air Peace charges N200,000 on a one-way trip from Enugu to Abuja. This amount is way too high for me.”

Another regular traveler, Emmanuel Kunaiyi, stated that he has had to cut back on his flying travel due to the recent increases in airline ticket prices.

Kunaiyi said,

“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.”

Sarah Wilson, a Lagos-based student at the University of Uyo in the state of Akwa Ibom, said she had ceased taking flights to school because of the increase in airfare costs.

BusinessDay investigations also revealed that because of the expense of demurrage and other logistics, airlines that operate in Nigeria pay more for aviation fuel.

Due to rising aviation fuel costs, Nigerian airlines have been struggled to conduct flawless flight operations.

The cost of aviation fuel, commonly referred to as Jet A-1, has increased to more than N600 at all airports in the nation from its previous price of between N230 and N250 per litre.

Osita Okonkwo, the chief operating officer of United Nigeria Airline, stated earlier this year at a press conference that the primary causes of the surge in flight tickets were the fees that airlines had to pay the government for using the airports, including the exorbitant cost of aviation fuel and other fees paid to aviation agencies.

Air Peace announces full booking

Legit.ng reported that Air Peace has announced that all economy-class flights from Lagos to London are fully booked for the next 60 days, beginning in July 2024.

Toyin Olajide, the airline's chief operating officer, who disclosed this noted that Nigerian travellers have been in strong demand since it commenced its London flight route.

On March 30, 2024, Air Peace started its direct flight operations from Lagos to Gatwick Airport in London.

Source: Legit.ng