Passengers Lament As One-Way Air Tickets To South-East, South-South Surge To N287,000 Amid Yuletide Rush

Usually during the yuletide rush, airfares are mostly raised due to the high demand for tickets. But this season, passengers say prices of air tickets are out of reach following various economic challenges.

Checks on different airlines’ websites showed that airfares, particularly to the South-South and South-East regions have increased by over 100 per cent compared to what the prices were before the yuletide.

A flight search on the booking platform of Air Peace showed that a one-way economy ticket from Lagos to Asaba in Delta State, moved from N97,400 as of December 5, to N287,800 by December 18. The airline plans to maintain this price till the end of the year.

The airfare from Abuja to Asaba on Air Peace moved from N95,400 on December 5, to N285,800 by December 16.

Lagos to Benin in Edo State stayed at N95,000 throughout the yuletide, while Abuja to Benin moved from N95,000 to N285,800 by December 16.

The airline plans to sell the Lagos-Calabar ticket for N162,000 by December 15 and raise the same to N181,000 by December 22. Abuja to the same state cost N114,400 by December 6 but will be sold for N162,000 by December 23.

Flying to Uyo from Lagos on Air Peace was about N145,000 on December 8, but will be increased to N202,100 by the 15th of the same month. From Abuja to the same state cost N162,000 on December 8, but will sell for N238,000 by December 22.

Flight tickets from Lagos to Port Harcourt or Abuja to Port Harcourt cost N95,400 as of December 5 but increased to N285,800 from December 19.

On the South-East routes, air tickets for Lagos – Anambra on Air Peace was N114,400 as of December 6. This increased to N381,100 by December 17. Air Peace also scheduled Abuja – Anambra for N95,000 as of December 5 but raised it to N285,800 by December 23.

For Enugu, a flight ticket to the state from Lagos was sold for N95,000 as of December 5 but increased to N285,800 from December 19. Although the price increased to N381,100 on the 20th, it was returned to N285,800 from 21st to 29th December.

The same amount applied to inbound Enugu flights from Abuja as of the 5th but according to the airline’s website, the fare will rise to N285,800 between the 21st – 29th of the same month.

Going to Owerri, the Imo state capital, from Lagos, started at N95,400 on the 5th of December but will increase to N381,000 by the 29th of December. Abuja to Owerri also started at N95,000 but turned to N285,000 from the 17th to the 30th of the month.

Whereas, for Ibom Air, a one-way economy ticket from Lagos to Uyo between the 16th and 17th of December will cost N152,700.

A one-way economy ticket from Lagos to Port Harcourt on Valuejet between the 18th, 19th, and 20th of December will also be sold for N164,761.

However, while airlines are increasing their fares, the Managing Director of Nigeria’s oldest aviation company, Aero Contractors, Ado Sanus, announced the slashing of its fares to an average of N80,000 for local flights recently.

“I’m surprised they are still just charging N25,000 for Onitsha. Considering the way things have been this year, I prepared to negotiate from N35,000. But it’s good it is this way. I’m only worried about the return trip in January”, she said.

At the Zuba park, a passengers Chidoka Henry, said he would have cancelled the trip if the prices were higher, while hoping to take advantage of slashed fare prices for his return trip.

“If they were more expensive, I probably would have just stayed in Abuja for the holdiays. I hope the President gives another travel discount, because I can’t imagine what the price would be by January”.

For transport company Peace Mass Transit, checks on the website showed that a trip to Aba ranged anywhere between N19,000 and 25,000 depending on what park one boarded from. Similarly, a trip from Abuja to Awka in Anambra State ranged between N17,000 and N22,000 also depending on what park a passenger boarded.