Fakoyejo OlalekanInterstate flight tickets have skyrocketed across Nigeria as Aviation fuel, also known as JET A1, rose to N903. This has forced domestic Airlines to raise their ticket price to meet rising cost of operation.
In the first half of 2022, aviation fuel was selling around N700, after rising from about N200 it sold for in the fourth quarter last year, due to the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine on the oil industry.
The war has resulted to countries hoarding refined oil, and with Nigeria having to export crude oil and import the refined oil, the African country has been at the receiving end of the impact.
Increase in price of aviation fuel had compelled Airlines association to threaten shutdown of operation, in a bid to force the government to intervene with subsidised commodity.
However, the strike was called off, and airlines have begun to transfer the rising cost of operation to air passengers, resulting to return ticket of Lagos-Abuja selling for N200,000, Lagos-Kano return ticket price is around N150,000 and N200,000.
The hike in ticket price is dependent on time and airline companies, as cost of aviation fuel varies across states, with that of Lagos selling for N740, Abuja buying at N780, while in the North, its between N880 and N903 as of Tuesday, Daily Trust reported.
The hike is also blamed on cost of bridging incurred by marketers transporting the aviation fuel from Lagos to other states.
In response, Nigeria flight tickets has gone up, with Abuja-Kano flight on Max Air falling between N74,000 and N100,000, that of Air Peace selling around N74,000 and N80,000 on Air Peace.
Return ticket from Abuja-Kano for Air Peace is put between N140,000 and N160,000, while one-way is about N78,000, one-way ticket for Abuja-Port Harcourt is N100,000 and that of Abuja-Lagos at the range of N75,000 and N100,000, but Lagos to Enugu costs N150,000 for a one-way ticket on Wednesday.
