Victor Ezeja
The cost of air travels within Nigeria has recorded a significant increase in the last one year.
According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the average fare paid by air travellers for specified routes single journey surged by 56.56 per cent year-on-year from N79,011.38 in August 2023 to N123,700.14 in August 2024.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOn a month-on-month basis, the cost of air fare, according to the NBS report, rose by 25.51 per cent in August 2024 when compared to the month of July 2024 which was N98,561.74.
For other categories, the NBS Transport Fare Watch (August 2024) released on Tuesday, revealed that the average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within a city per drop decreased to 7.77 per cent from N942.61 in July 2024 to N869.35 in August 2024. On a year-on year basis, it dropped by 34.95 per cent from N1,336.38 in August 2023.
This drop in transport fare for intra-city bus journey can be attributed to easing of the inflationary pressure in the months of July and August 2024.
For intercity bus journeys, the report showed that the average fare paid by commuters per drop, increased by 0.59 per cent on a month-on-month basis to N7,159.00 in August 2024 from N7,117.17 in July 2024. On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 20.97 per cent when compared with N5,918.18 recorded in August 2023.
READ ALSO: Nigerians Spend More On Air Travels As Ticket Prices Increase By 34.06% In One Year – NBS
Also, commuters using motorcycle popularly called okada, paid an average fare of N524.22 in August 2024 which shows an increase of 8.46 per cent when compared with N483.33 recorded in July 2024. On a year-on-year basis, the fare decreased by 18.87 per cent when compared with N646.12 in August 2023.
Meanwhile, water transportation passengers paid an average fare of N1,449.34 in August 2024, which reveals an increase of 3.30 per cent on month-on-month basis. It increased by 3.03 per cent from N1,406.74 in August 2023, when considered on a year-on-year basis.
On state-by-state basis, Anambra residents paid the highest fare with N9,580.85 per person for intercity bus travel. This was followed by Gombe with N8,349.26. Kwara State recorded the least fare with N5,574.46, followed by Ebonyi with N5,614.81.
For air transport charges (specified routes single journeys), Niger recorded the highest with N129,575.21, followed by Abuja with N129,442.67. However, Zamfara recorded the least fare with N102,665.89, followed by Cross River with N120,088.93.
Analysis of air fares by geopolitical zones indicate that the South-east recorded the highest fare in August with N125,640.19, followed by the North-central with N125,420.29 while the North-west had the least with N121,957.18.
As shown in the data, while some categories of transport recorded a decrease in fares, others like air transport saw a significant increase. This reflects the high energy cost and other operational charges in the industry, coupled with the inflationary pressure on the economy.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
