Airlines increase travel fares over rising fuel cost

 

Nigeria airlines have increased charges for domestic trips to N100,000 per trip over the increasing cost of flight fuel and the foreign exchange (FX) crisis. Azman Air flight from Lagos to Kano/Kaduna increased from about N60,000 to N100,000 as at Friday 29th June.

Air Peace likewise increased fares to N82,000 for trips to Abuja from Lagos, while a return trip is currently N85,000.

Ibom Air, on its website, fixed the cost at N78,000 for similar routes, while Max Air goes for N84,000 for Lagos to Abuja flights.

The increase in charges may not be disconnected to the different difficulties in Nigeria's air travel sector. The flight industry is confronted with a surge in the costs of jet A1 fuel which is fundamentally influencing operations.

During an emergency meeting with Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, on Tuesday, the Airline Operators Association of Nigeria (AON) complained that aviation fuel has surged to about N1000 per liter from N180 per liter.

Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, president, AON, said the forex crisis was likewise an enormous weight on the business.

On his part, Sirika said the variables impacting the crises in the aviation sector were beyond the industry’s control, and as such, “there is no immediate solution”.

He, however, said the federal government is working to end the hike in aviation fuel prices through the revitalisation of refineries and coming on stream of the Dangote refinery.