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Yuletide: Airfares on domestic routes rise by 30%

By on December 26, 2013

The limited number of domestic carriers operating in the country and the rush for air tickets this Yuletide have led to a rise in airfares on major routes by about 30 per cent.

While hundreds of passengers waited patiently for their flights, most of which were delayed, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Tuesday, others besieged the counters of the few operational carriers in search of tickets to various destinations.

Findings by our correspondent showed that the price of air tickets for an hour flight currently ranged from N24,000 to N43,000, depending on the carrier. This was against a range of N18,000 to N30,000 a few weeks ago.

Officials of some airlines stated that the rush for tickets was more pronounced on certain routes, such as Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, Owerri, Calabar and Port Harcourt. Tickets on these routes were selling at high prices as the airlines exploited the opportunity of the Christmas and New Year festivities and the limited number of operational carriers.

The carriers currently operating commercial services in the country are Arik Air, Aero Contractors, IRS Airlines, Med-View Air and Overland.

Findings at the NAIA on Tuesday as well as enquiries from airline representatives showed that the average fare on the Lagos-Enugu route, which is less than 45 minutes, was N26,000 as against N20,000, which it went for two months ago.

The airlines that operate on the Enugu-Lagos route include Aero, Arik and Med-View.

Similarly, the Lagos-Abuja route attracted an average ticket price of N30,000. This was against an average of N24,000 recorded some weeks ago.

While Arik sold its ticket on the route for an average of N41,500, other carriers like Aero, Med-View and IRS sold their tickets for between N25,000 and N28,000.

On the Lagos-Port Harcourt and Lagos-Owerri routes, the average fare is N28,000, while it costs between N38,000 and N45,000 to travel by air from Lagos to other northern cities with functional airports, depending on the airline.

Passengers, who spoke with our correspondent, wondered why fares were always hiked during the festive periods.

According to them, domestic airlines should learn to introduce low cost promotional fares to attract travellers instead of exploiting passengers as a result of the season.

They also decried the dearth of local carriers in the aviation sector, stressing that the few in the business were cashing in on the development at the detriment of their customers.

Mr. Oswald Duru, a traveller who was heading for Enugu from Abuja said, “It is funny how things operate here. This is a time to share and not to exploit your passengers. Instead of increasing fares by N5,000 or more and forcing people to go by road, why not leave it at what it used to be?”

Another passenger, Aderonke Lawson, said she searched for low cost fares online but could not get any.

“I’m on my way to Port Harcourt where my parents reside. I searched on the Internet for promotional fares; but was disappointed when I found out that all the carriers going my way had their ticket prices above N23,000,” she said.

Lawson pleaded with the Federal Government to speed up its screening of Dana Air, so that “people like us who patronise the carrier for its ability to always provide affordable fares can be able to travel by air.”

For Musa Jubril, the development is “annoying.”

According to him, unauthorised persons who pose as ticketing and reservation officers for airlines are also defrauding unsuspecting passengers.

He said, “I think it is high time touts were erased from our airports because they end up defrauding passengers, and I say this because I have been a victim.

“The prices of air tickets are high already, but you pay even more when you buy from these touts around most of the airports.”

Meanwhile, some ticketing officers told our correspondent that the difference in airfares when compared to what they used to be was normal.

An official of one of the biggest carriers in the country, who  identified herself simply as Tolu, said, “It is normal for airfares to rise, especially during Christmas and as the year comes to an end. It is not only our airline that has increased fares.”

Pointing to the counters of other carriers, Tolu said, “Go and check their stands and you will agree that it is not just our airline that has increased fares.”

Commenting on the development, the President, Aviation Round Table, Capt. Dele Ore, said the Nigerian aviation sector was a deregulated industry.

He said, “However, we have enough regulation in our system to ensure that those things that I call ‘very sharp practices’ do not happen. A deregulated industry, as far as airfare is concerned, means that the demand and supply will influence what the airlines will charge.

“And if they charge what is excessive, the passengers have the right to boycott them. So, when they have empty aircraft, then they will look at what is favourable to be charged.”

Ore said the economic regulation of the aviation industry in the country was in the purview of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, adding that the Civil Aviation Act was clear on this.

He, however, stated that the regulator was not carrying out its functions efficiently, adding, “The powers of the NCAA have been hijacked by the Aviation minister and economic regulation in the sector is not thriving.”

The ART president added, “So, the NCAA cannot do its job as expected except there are complaints from the consumers. Let me make it clear that the NCAA cannot live up to expectation if the level of interference is high.

“The way things are now, Nigerians don’t have any choice but to go with what is available. And mind you, the aviation sector in Nigeria has just a limited number of airlines that are operational. So, the few that are around will have a field day and you won’t blame them for the increase in airfares.”

Ore also said, “You see people stranded at the airports because of lack of flights to go to their respective destinations.

“I wonder how those who fly into Nigeria from places like London and the United States will cope when they get to our airports. Most of them may end up being stranded because they will not have flights to take them where they want to go.”

Attempts by our correspondent to know whether there was any regulation on price fixing by the airlines were not successful as the spokesperson for the NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, refused to take his calls.

Text messages sent to two of his mobile phones were not replied as of the time of filing this report.

 

 

[Punch]