Airline operators in Nigeria have defended the alleged discriminatory airfares to some regions in the country, especially during the yuletide.
Recent reports claimed that the airlines intentionally introduced high fares to Southeast states during the Christmas celebration, while fares to other regions, especially the northern states, are far cheaper.
Searches by our correspondent showed that a one-way ticket on some of the airlines has increased to about N350,000 or more for travel to Southeast and South-south from December to January.
Fares on OwerrI, Enugu, Anambra, Asaba and other Southeast routes have increased by over 100 per cent during the yuletide.
But the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of United Nigeria Airlines, Mazi Osita Okonkwo, in an interview with our correspondent, denied the fare hike allegation.
According to Okonkwo, airline ticketing is based on a tiered system.
He explained that for Southeast-bound flights, traffic within the yuletide is on- way. In December, passengers fly Lagos/Abuja to Enugu, Anambra, Owerri and Asaba, while it reverses in January.
He noted that the imbalance compelled airlines to ferry near-empty aircraft back, either to Lagos/Abuja in December or to the Southeast in January.
Okonkwo declared that in aviation economics, the “positioning flights” impose steep costs on operators as an aircraft burns the same amount of fuel, pays the same crew, and attracts the same maintenance obligations in each flight, irrespective of the capacity occupied.
Okonkwo added, “It is also worth noting that fare increases during the yuletide are not limited to airlines. Road travellers heading to the Southeast face the same challenge. A Lagos to Onitsha bus ticket that typically costs between N24,000 and N35,000 in regular periods may rise to above N50,000 to N60,000 during Christmas.
“Yet, the public outcry is almost always directed at airlines, while road transport operators often escape the same level of criticism. We will continue to operate flights in the best interest and safety of our customers.”
Okonkwo mentioned that the tiered system was another reason for the high airfares during the period.
For instance, he said a Lagos to Enugu flight may have fares ranging from N100,000 to N350,000, depending on how early a passenger books.
“Savvy travellers and travel agents, familiar with this cycle, often stay up at night waiting for airlines to release yuletide schedules, rushing to grab the cheaper seats before demand pushes the system into higher fare brackets.
“This reality is often overlooked in public commentary, where focus is on the top fares visible at peak demand.”
Also, Chris Amokwu, an aviation analyst, attributed the high airfares on the domestic routes to the harsh operating environment.
Amokwu posited that the airlines face volatile foreign exchange (FX) rates, high fuel costs, multiple taxation and inadequate infrastructure.
According to him, the prices of Jet A1 (aviation fuel) have more than doubled in recent years, while operators often pay in dollars for maintenance, insurance and aircraft leasing. Yet, the operators earn revenues in naira.
He argued that the environment left little margin for airlines to absorb seasonal shocks.
“Consider a Lagos to Kano round trip. With balanced demand on an aircraft with a capacity of 150 passengers, the operational cost is around N53 million. This cost is spread across almost 300 passengers for the round trip.
“However, the same aircraft flying from Lagos to Enugu or to other Southeast airports may return with only 10 to 20 passengers, which means little or zero revenue. The operator still incurs the same N53 million in cost. The cost must be spread across fewer than 170
tickets. This contributes to why yuletide fares are higher,” he added.
