As the yuletide approaches, air passengers are facing increasing discomfort over the high cost of tickets. a one-way flight ticket costs up to N200,000, depending on the route.
Checks show that ahead of Christmas and New Year, many seats have been booked; and as the festive period draws nearer, available seats are becoming more expensive.
The eastern routes are the most affected, with Enugu flight tickets selling between N171,000 and N200,000.
Lagos to Owerri, from December 5 sells between N114,400 and N190,600 for a one-way economy ticket and N238,200 for business, while the base fare for Lagos-Calabar is N100,000.
At the moment, a 30-minute flight to Ilorin from Lagos costs between 100,000 and N143,000 for economy class. Lagos to Sokoto ticket goes for N150,000, while a Lagos-Kaduna ticket is N143,000 as the base fare.
According to reports an economy ticket one-way flight has increased from N50,000 (by 100 per cent) to over N100,000 on some routes. Airlines are blaming the hike on the prevailing economic challenges, especially high cost of operation.
The airlines had in 2022 increased a one-way ticket to N50,000 from N30,000. This had generated controversy in the travel industry.
But at present, a one-way economy ticket base fare is around N80,000.
Some of the factors cited by airline operators include high cost of aviation fuel, known as Jet A1, high exchange rate, multiple charges, among others.
The managing director/chief executive of Aero Contractors, Capt Ado Sanusi, said with the current rate of exchange, a one-way ticket should sell for over N130,000.
According to him, any operator pricing his ticket low might be cutting corners.
Experts warned that the situation might get worse if the operational challenges confronting the airlines persist. They noted that with the deregulation of the industry, airlines had been empowered to fix their prices in line with the demand and supply principle.
They called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to intervene by controlling fares, saying the more they go up, the more prospective passengers would try alternatives if they are unable to afford airfares.
The director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt Musa Nuhu, admitted that the economic situation in the country made things extremely difficult for airlines.
