One-way airfare on some domestic routes has jumped by about 150 per cent, crossing ₦300,000, as travellers now experience an astronomical rise in air ticket rates due to the high passenger volume associated with the Yuletide, among others.
Checks showed that the hike in airfares was particularly on the South-South and South-East routes. These routes have high patronage, as most domestic air movements during the festive period are to these areas.
Usually, during the Yuletide rush, airfares are 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. Operators told our correspondent that the shortage of aircraft further compounded the airfare hike.
Before the festive period, air tickets on domestic routes hovered around ₦120,000. But an analysis of domestic airfares on the websites of airlines on Tuesday showed that ticket costs, particularly to the South-South and South-East regions, have increased by about 150 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 about ₦120,000 to over ₦300,000. The airline, between December 24 – 29, put the same ticket at ₦337,500.
Also, Delta State–bound passengers from Abuja will buy tickets from the airline for ₦335,500 between 23 – 28 December of this year. But the price may drop to ₦240,000 between 29 – 31 of the same month.
However, Aero Contractors offered a seat for ₦238,452 to Asaba on December 24, 2025. United Nigeria Airlines will also fly Lagos to Asaba at ₦399,999 and fly Abuja to Asaba between December 22 – 26 at prices ranging from ₦335,499 and ₦360,499.
Findings further showed that Air Peace may only fly between Lagos and Enugu from December 28 – 29 for prices ranging between ₦335,500 and ₦430,700. The airline will also sell its ticket for ₦335,500 from December 24 – 28, and sell for ₦240,200 on the 29th of the same month for domestic passengers flying from Abuja to Enugu.
Lagos to Calabar on Aero Contractors will cost between ₦187,976 and ₦151,786 between December 22 – 24, while United Nigeria will sell a seat on its Lagos–Benin flight for ₦335,499 between December 22 – 30, but it increased the price by ₦10,000 on December 31.
Air Peace will sell its Lagos–Port Harcourt ticket for ₦335,500 between the 23rd–29th of the month.
Most dramatic flights are within a one-hour range. For instance, Asaba and Benin are about 40 minutes by air and about four hours by road.
Many Nigerians prefer air travel not only because it is faster but also because it helps them avoid security challenges across the country.
Lagos–Anambra on December 17, on United Nigeria Airlines will cost ₦399,999. From December 18 – 21 have been sold out. For Owerri-bound passengers from Lagos on the UNA flight, prices fluctuate between ₦335,499 and ₦499,998 from December 16, 2025.
Following the new price surge, some passengers are now considering travelling by road to their destinations as an alternative amidst the insecurity currently ravaging the country. Meanwhile, aside from the lack of adequate aircraft to operate, operators also lament multiple taxation as another reason for the hike in airfares.
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 scattered abroad.
In a recent paper, Charles Grant, Chief Financial Officer, Aero Contractors, said Nigerian airlines use only 38 serviceable aircraft—one of the clearest signs that the aviation system requires intervention.
He blamed the low number of aircraft on multiple charges and unfriendly government policies, appealing to the government to stop seeing aviation as a revenue-generating sector and instead reinvest funds amassed from aviation back into the sector.
“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.
The PUNCH
