No more N65,000: Airfares rise as aircraft shortage hits Nigerian airports

• Passengers flying from Lagos to secondary airports have little choice in airline
• This is due to the continued shortage of aircraft at Nigeria’s second-tier airports
• Today, some airlines have an outsized degree of influence over specific routes

Reliable journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3 years of experience reporting on economics, technology and capital markets.

The ongoing shortage of aircraft at Nigerian airports has left passengers travelling from Lagos to tier-2 airports including Ilorin, Akure, Asaba, Benin, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Ibadan and Yola without a choice of airlines to fly with.

In order to maximize their financial profit, airlines with few aircraft are forced to reduce frequencies or stop flying on second-tier routes. Instead, they focus on first-tier or high-traffic routes.

The situation has given certain airlines disproportionate control over certain routes, limiting options for passengers and eliminating jobs that were previously created at airports.

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Passenger fares may also be affected. A one-way economy class ticket from Lagos to any of these destinations currently costs between N100,000 and N300,000. A fare from Lagos to any of the second-tier airports averaged N65,000 last year.

The cost of tickets has also increased on routes that Dana Air used to serve. According to research by BusinessDay, fewer airlines are now operating on certain routes.

In the past, these second-tier airports were served by five or more airlines. Today, however, two to three airlines mainly operate the airports, and there are frequent irregular flights.

For example, between September and the first week of October, only two airlines fly to Anambra airport on specific days. The lowest price for a one-way economy class ticket on the route is N116,000.

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Asaba Airport serves three airlines. Due to competition on the route, tickets are sold for as low as N95,000.

Currently, only two airlines operate on the Lagos-Owerri route. Tickets cost between N116,000 and N300,000.

There are three airlines that operate flights between Lagos and Ilorin. One charges an average of N100,000 while another charges anywhere between N115,000 and N219,000. The average fee charged by the third airline is N154,000. Not all these airlines arrive in Asaba on the same days.

Three airlines fly routinely from Lagos to Benin airport, with economy tickets costing between N110,000 and N170,000. These airlines do not fly this route frequently.

A very competitive route is Lagos-Kano, with four airlines serving the route. Despite the relatively long distance from Lagos, ticket costs as low as N91,000 to N110,000 as a result.

There are two airlines that fly the Lagos-Akure route, with tickets costing between N130,000 and N260,000.

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There are no more daily flights on the Lagos-Sokoto route, and on the few days that there are flights, only two airlines operate. Fares range from N150,000 to N175,000 for a one-way economy ticket.

The Lagos – Ibadan route is now served by two major airlines with prices ranging between N200,000 and N220,000 for a one-way economy class ticket on the route. The route is only occasionally flown by one airline even with a N25,000 promotional ticket.

Currently, there are only two airlines operating daily flights to Kaduna, with prices ranging from N120,000 to N160,000.

There are two airlines that fly from Lagos to Yola, with prices ranging from N155,500 to N200,000.

There is no air traffic at Katsina Airport from September to early October.

According to Ibrahim Mshelia, CEO of West Link Airlines, the lack of dollars is causing major problems for airlines, as they have no money and cannot find the money to pay for parts and to bring their planes back from maintenance.

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Legitim.ng reported that air passengers in Nigeria may face problems boarding their favourite airline as airline workers have threatened to embark on a nationwide strike.

The aviation unions called on all workers to protest at all airports in Nigeria and demand an end to the 50% deduction by the Federal Government from the internally generated revenue of major aviation organisations.

The unions made this known in a statement dated Wednesday, August 14, 2024, signed by Ocheme Aba, Frances Akinjole, Abdul Rasaq, Sikiru Waheed and Olayinka Abioye.

Source: Legit.ng