Several Nigerian domestic airlines have significantly increased their minimum base fares for one-way tickets to N200,000 and above, raising fresh concerns among travelers and stakeholders in the aviation sector.
The latest fare adjustment, observed across major local routes, comes amid rising aviation fuel prices, foreign exchange challenges, aircraft maintenance costs, and increasing operational expenses faced by airline operators nationwide.
Checks on various airline booking platforms on Wednesday showed that some carriers had revised their fares upward, especially for high-demand routes such as Lagos–Abuja, Abuja–Port Harcourt, and Lagos–Enugu.
Reports indicate that United Nigeria Airlines increased its minimum one-way fare to around N200,000 across several destinations. Air Peace was also seen offering some flights above N211,000, while Ibom Air adjusted fares to approximately N200,300 for selected routes.
However, a few operators were still offering slightly lower fares on limited routes. Arik Air, for instance, reportedly maintained some Abuja–Lagos tickets within the N113,000 to N114,000 range at the time of filing this report.
Industry experts have linked the latest fare hike to the continued surge in the price of Jet A1 aviation fuel, which remains one of the biggest cost burdens for domestic airlines. Reports suggest that aviation fuel prices have climbed to about N2,650 per litre at some airports across the country.
Airline operators have repeatedly warned that unstable exchange rates, multiple taxes, airport charges, and difficulties accessing foreign exchange for aircraft maintenance are putting enormous pressure on the sector.
