Domestic airfare nears N200,000 amid fuel crisis

Following the sustained high cost of aviation fuel, Nigerian airlines have increased airfares to N200,000 and above for one-hour one-way flights.

A cost analysis across the airlines’ websites showed an upward review in ticket prices by some domestic carriers, except a few that had yet to review their airfares as of the time of filing this report. The checks on the websites showed that the operators had quietly increased airfares without any official communication.

It was, however, gathered that the increase in fares was in response to the hike in aviation fuel, which varies depending on the delivery airport location, but sells for between N1,750 and N2,650 per litre.

Recall that operators under the umbrella of the Airline Operators of Nigeria had repeatedly warned that the soaring cost of Jet A1 was becoming unsustainable, noting that while global crude prices recorded moderate increases of about 30 per cent, aviation fuel prices in Nigeria surged far beyond that margin.

The operators said they had continued to absorb the rising costs over the past four weeks to sustain flight operations nationwide, despite worsening financial strain and persistent foreign exchange challenges.

Recently, Ibom Air raised fresh alarm over the deepening crisis, revealing that it now spends about N7.6m to fuel a single flight.

Although the airlines had taken the matter to the Federal Government, operators stated that the current high cost of aviation fuel is not sustainable.