Domestic Airfare Increases by 20.53% in Nigeria from January 2023 to January 2024- Report

Domestic flight prices in Nigeria witnessed a 20.53% increase from January 2023 to January 2024, pushing the average fare for a single journey on selected routes to N89,975.68, an increase from N74,648.65 the year before.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Transport Fare Watch report for January 2024 provides this insight.

Additionally, the NBS report indicates a 5% increase in average airfares between December 2023 and January 2024, with fares rising from N85,692.12 to the new rate in January 2024. In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey was N89,975.68 in January 2024,

In January 2024, Rivers State led the rankings for the highest average airfare prices in Nigeria, with tickets costing N100,500 on average. Lagos State closely followed with an average fare of N100,000, and Oyo State was third at N97,600.

Other states with notably high average fares included Akwa Ibom at N94,500, Enugu at N96,000, Osun at N96,500, and Yobe at N95,000, all exceeding the N90,000 mark.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the most affordable average airfare prices were observed in Abia State at N73,000, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory each at N80,500, and Niger State, also at N80,500, marking them as the states with the lowest airfare costs for the same period.

Recommended reading: Nigerian one-way airfare costs rose from N38,000 to over N70,000 in one year.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report also provided detailed insights into the airfare trends across different geopolitical zones of Nigeria, highlighting significant year-on-year increases in average airfare for single-journey selected routes.

The South West geopolitical zone experienced the steepest rise, with a notable 27.58% increase in average airfare from N74,216.67 in January 2023 to N94,683.33 in January 2024.

Additionally, this zone saw a 9.25% month-on-month increase from December’s average fare of N86,666.67. Both the North-West and South-South zones witnessed a 21.79% year-on-year surge in average airfare, with the North-West’s fares climbing from N76,366.67 in January 2023 to N90,928.57 in January 2024. Similarly, in the South-South zone, airfares rose from N75,266.67 to N91,666.67 over the same period. The North Central zone reported a 16.76% increase in average airfare for January 2024, reaching N84,500 up from N72,371.43 in January 2023. The North East zone saw a 19.05% rise in average airfare from N76,366.67 in January 2023 to N90,916.67 in January 2024.

Meanwhile, the South East zone experienced a 15.83% year-on-year increase, with fares rising from N75,540 in January 2023 to N87,500 in January 2024, showcasing diverse trends in air travel costs across the country.