BusinessYuletide Demand Spikes Ticket Costs By 100% Amid Disruptions

Yuletide Demand Spikes Ticket Costs By 100% Amid Disruptions

THEWILL APP ADS 2

There is an indication that Nigerians travelling by air this season are in for one of the most expensive pricing regimes in local airfares. This is because the airfares have increased in the last few months due to scarcity of forex and high cost of Jet A1, among other factors.

The situation is further worsened by the fact that there is always the prevalence of rush for the travelling public in December and early part of January, resulting from events marking the festive season.

Consequently, local airline operators have made moves to meet the envisaged high passenger demand during the Yuletide when passenger traffic more than double that of the previous months.

For instance, almost all the airlines in the country have started acquiring more aircraft to meet the expected surge in passenger movement.

Arik Air, Air Peace, Dana Air, United Nigeria, and others have injected more aircraft in their fleet. Even those who were not in operation have equally hastened up to restart operations in order to take part of the market share at this peak period.

While Value Jet joined the league of local operators a few months ago, Nigeria’s oldest carrier, Aero Contractors, which closed shop five months ago, will return to the skies on December 5, 2022. The airline, according to the management, is coming back with six aircrafts.

Beyond fleet expansions, most of the local airlines have also increased their routes randomly.

Arik Air recently resumed daily flights from Lagos and Abuja to Owerri, the Imo state capital. In addition to that, the airline has also reintroduced the Port Harcourt Garden City Express.

While Dana Air has equally announced the resumption of its Abuja to Owerri, Enugu, Air Peace has already resumed Uyo operations.

Despite these efforts by domestic airlines, airfares offered by the local operators have doubled and cost an average of N100,000 for less than an hour flight.

A survey of the current airfares showed a slightly varying price range across the airlines and routes. On average, Economy Class one-way tickets on all routes, subject to seat availability, that were earlier sold for N35,000 were on the airlines’ website quoted between N55,000 and N74, 000 as of December 3, 2022.

For instance, Ibom Air Lagos-Abuja Economy flight tickets that used to sell for less than N50, 000 before were sold from N55, 000 to N74, 000 on December, 2, 2022. Its same route on December 3 went for N55, 000 to N96, 000.

Air Peace Lagos-Abuja as at December 2, sold for N65, 000 to N100, 000 depending on the time. Also in the same airline, Abuja-Ilorin went for N100, 000 while Lagos-Ilorin went for N82, 000 as at 3rd December, 2022.

Added to the high cost of airfares is the imminent flight disruptions expected at the end of this year and beginning of 2023.

Already, airline operators and travellers have been put on the alert for the most likely impact of Harmattan Haze on air travel by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).

The agency had a few weeks ago warned of disruption of flight operations due to the onset of harmattan in some parts of the country.

The agency in its forecast said air turbulence, bird strikes would combine to cause flight delays and cancellations.

According to the advisory signed by the General Manager, Public Relations of the Agency, Muntari Ibrahim, airline operators should plan adequately for fuel as the amount of fuel consumed by the aircraft would be more this

The Director-General of NCAA, Capt Musa Nuhu, told THEWILL that there is always a rush for the travelling public in December.

He said that while the airlines that put the necessary measures in place, airport operators and NCAA ensure that proper mitigating measures are put in place to facilitate operations during the Yuletide.

On flight delays and cancelations, Capt Nuhu said, “Flight cancellations can come from many reasons. I am not making excuses for any operator. Sometimes, you have technical problems, weather and other disruptions, which affect the flight schedules and sometimes, the airlines. Their planning is not the best. So, we work with everybody. It is not just the airlines; the airlines are part of the ecosystem in the airport. Whenever we are in the Yuletide, there is a surge in passenger traffic that may be beyond the terminal’s capacity.

“That one also has an impact on the departure of an airline. Sometimes, the handlers are overloaded. It will have an impact on the plan of the airline. So, we are doing our best to mitigate the challenges,” he said.

About the Author

Homepage | Recent Posts

Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.

Anthony Awunor, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.

More like this
Related