The cost of flight tickets has surged over the past year as aviation stakeholders in the country struggle to meet up with the harsh economic climate.
According to the Transport Fare Watch for April 2024 released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the average costs of domestic flight tickets in Nigeria for specified routes increased from ₦74,947.30 in April 2023, to ₦89,189.19 in April 2024 indicating an increase of 19%.
On a month-on-month basis, the increase in the cost of domestic flight tickets rose by 0.25% from ₦88,964.86 paid in March 2024, to ₦89,189.19 paid in April 2024.
A further breakdown of the airfare tickets across the country shows that air passengers in some states paid a higher amount for flight tickets when compared to other states where passengers paid lower costs.
5 states with the most expensive domestic flight tickets
The top five states that recorded the highest domestic airfares include:
1. Kano State
Kano State came first on the list of states with the costliest domestic flight tickets in April 2024. Air passengers paid an average of ₦96,500 per trip.
2. Ogun State
Ogun State took the second spot with passengers paying an average of ₦95,500 per trip.
3. Enugu
Enugu passengers paid an average of ₦95,000 per trip, earning the state the 3rd spot.
4. Rivers States
Rivers State jointly took the 3rd place with Enugu as passengers in the state also paid an average of ₦95,000 per trip.
5. Kebbi State
Kebbi State came in 5th position on the list as air passengers from the state coughed out an average of ₦94,500 per flight trip.
When the flight ticket costs were further analysed according to the different regions, it was revealed that the average airfare for specific routes in the North Central zone was ₦84,571.43.
In the North East zone, the average airfare for specified routes was ₦89,733.33.
The North West zone saw an average airfare for specific routes at ₦92,128.57.
In the SouthEast region, the average airfare for specified routes was ₦86,700.
For the South West zone, air passengers paid an average of ₦92,033.33.
In the South South zone, the average airfare for specified routes per single journey was ₦89,833.33.
From the data, the North West recorded the highest domestic flight tickets in April 2024 with ₦92,128.57 while the North Central had the lowest fare with ₦84,571.43.