As the festive period approaches, rising demand and fewer available aircraft may have triggered a fresh round of flight fare surges throughout the celebrations.
Checks by the New National Star reveal that airfares on some domestic routes have jumped by above 150 per cent, crossing N400,000, as many travellers experience an exorbitant rise in ticket rates due to the high passenger volume associated with the Yuletide season, among other factors.
Further checks reveal that the upsurge in killings and abductions of commuters on major roads has forced travellers to shun the use of commercial vehicles as they embark on their journey to celebrate this year’s Christmas with their loved ones.
The high demand for tickets has therefore made airline operators abruptly hike airfares, which have now gone beyond the reach of many passengers.
Airline operators have, however, defended the current fares, blaming the shortage of aircraft as well as government’s unfriendly policies.
Aside from the lack of adequate aircraft to operate, they also lamented multiple taxation as another reason for the hike in airfares.
For example, the Nigerian government collected an estimated $62 million in airline ticket taxes in 2024 alone, according to newly published figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The revenue places the country among Africa’s notable contributors to aviation-related tax income for the year.
Nigeria’s tax burden on air travellers increased further on December 1, 2025, following the introduction of an additional $11.5 security levy tied to the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). This raised the total mandatory security charge to $31.50 per international ticket, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
New National Star findings revealed that the hike in airfares was particularly evident on the South-South and South-East routes, considering the high patronage, as most domestic movement during the festive period is to these areas.
Prior to the festive period, air tickets on domestic routes floated around N120,000. But an analysis of domestic airfares on airline websites on Thursday indicates that ticket costs, particularly to the South-South and South-East regions, have increased by over 150 per cent compared to prices before the Yuletide.
For instance, Air Peace now charges about N450,000 for a one-way economy ticket from Lagos to Asaba, Delta State, for the Christmas period.
Also, Delta State–bound passengers from Abuja will buy tickets from the airline for N400,000 to N500,000 between December 23 and 28 this year.
For now, Air Peace, Aero Contractors, United Nigeria Airlines and others sell Lagos–Port Harcourt tickets for N450,500 between the 23rd and 29th of the month.
On the Lagos–Anambra route on December 17, United Nigeria Airlines charges N499,999. Owerri-bound passengers from Lagos pay between N400,000 and N499,998 from December 16, 2025.
As a result of the new price surge, some passengers who spoke to our correspondents are reconsidering their earlier resolve and may settle for road travel as the only alternative amidst the insecurity ravaging the country.
However, experts in the industry ascribed one of the reasons for the aircraft shortage to maintenance hiccups. Many of the airlines’ planes are parked in different maintenance, repair and overhaul hangars abroad.
Chief Financial Officer, Aero Contractors, Charles Grant, blamed the low number of aircraft on multiple charges and unfriendly government policies, and appealed to the government to stop seeing aviation as a revenue-generating sector and instead reinvest funds amassed from aviation back into the industry.
“Today, most Nigerian airlines operate with just four to six active aircraft despite national demand. That’s not a choice; it’s the result of punitive economics,” Grant stated.
Chief Commercial Officer at Air Peace, Nowel Ngala, explained that the airline entered a wet-lease agreement with SmartLynx because 13 of its aircraft are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance abroad.
He, however, assured that despite these setbacks, some of its aircraft have completed maintenance and are returning to service.
Speaking in an interview, President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria, Alex Nwuba, confirmed that airlines are currently faced with capacity shortfalls but stressed that they are striving to bridge the gap.
According to him: “You are correct that airline capacity shortfalls often contribute to higher fares during festive periods. In the case of Nigeria this season, we have seen some disruptions. For example, Air Peace lost a number of aircraft, which reduced their daily capacity by roughly 300 seats. At the same time, however, the airline has announced the return of several aircraft, which should help to fill those gaps and at least maintain current capacity levels.
“Consumers should expect higher fares, as this is traditionally the seasonal pattern. Demand always rises during festive periods, and prices reflect that. Nigeria, however, stands to benefit from this increased travel activity, as it supports tourism and boosts confidence in the aviation sector. All things being equal, the outlook remains positive,” he stated.
Former Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Harold Demuren, appealed to the Federal Government to support Nigerian operators to achieve more capacity.
Meanwhile, the Senate has condemned the outrageous fares being charged by domestic airline operators over the past few weeks, ahead of the Christmas season.
The Senate, during Tuesday’s plenary, called for an investigation into the development, with lawmakers noting that some airlines charged as high as N500,000 and N650,000 for one-way tickets, instead of the usual N150,000 or N250,000.
The debate followed a motion moved by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, who described the exorbitant hike as unacceptable and urged Senate intervention.
“In the last three months, Nigerians have been complaining about the outrageous airfares being charged by airlines. Based on their complaints, we had an informal interaction with the airline owners and operators demanding explanations.
“But nothing came out of the interaction because it was informal. So, there is a need for the Senate to intervene by inviting all stakeholders in the aviation sector to address the problem,” Senator Buhari said.
He disclosed that some airlines had raised their Lagos–Abuja fares to between N500,000 and N650,000 for a one-way ticket.
Corroborating Buhari’s position, Senator Adamu Aliero described the charges as outrageous and expressed concern that minimum-wage earners would need to save five months’ salaries to buy a one-way flight ticket.
He questioned the justification for the price surge, noting that aviation fuel and airport charges had not increased correspondingly.
Similarly, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi narrated his personal encounter earlier on Tuesday, saying: “Just this morning, I asked my personal assistant to book a flight for me from Abuja to Enugu for 13th December. But he told me that Air Peace demanded N500,000 while Ibom Air charged N450,000 for the same flight.”
He added: “When are we going to have Air Nigeria? We all know about Ghana Air and other airlines owned by African countries, which are still being managed effectively. We must save Nigerians from this extortion by local airlines.”
Senator Olamilekan Adeola questioned the rationale behind the increase, noting that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had granted certain forex concessions to airlines.
During the debate, senators shouted down Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North) when he attempted to justify the fare hikes by citing rising operational costs.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio aligned with colleagues on the need to call operators to order, lamenting that Nigerian travellers were being exploited. He said that if Nigeria Air were operational, fares would have been lower and competition stronger.
The Senate Aviation Committee was directed to invite all stakeholders for discussions before the Senate proceeds on its Christmas break.
Similarly, the House of Representatives raised concerns during Thursday’s plenary, warning that the trend poses significant security risks as millions prepare to travel across the country.
The House urged the Federal Government to introduce tax reliefs for operators and enforce a 50 per cent reduction in airport charges during festive periods to ease the burden on travellers.
The resolution followed amendments to a motion of urgent public importance titled: “The Exorbitant Rise of Airline Ticket Cost and the Consequential Impact on Security of Lives, Air Ambulance Cost,” sponsored by Abia lawmaker Obinna Aguocha.