Air travelers across the country have continued to suffer untold hardship as domestic airline operators have continued to jerk up fares in all routes.

Insecurity on the roads has forced travellers to patronize the air travel sector despite the astronomical increase.

New airlines are coming on board with less operational costs but airfares remained on the high side.

A new entrant, ValueJet which commenced operations few weeks ago with an hour fare of N44, 000 has gone up to N70, 000.

Investigation by The Daily Times revealed that an hour flight from Lagos to Abuja goes for between N75,000 and N80, 000, while from Katsina – Abuja remained N70, 000 for a forty-five minutes flight and Abuja – Lagos attracts N80, 000.

Over the weekend, a Boeing 737 aircraft from Abuja to Lagos was filled up with passengers with no less than N70, 000 per passenger

An anonymous passenger from Abuja to Lagos expressed disappointment with the way airfares were being jerked up by domestic airline operators while their inflight services have been reduced.

But domestic airline operators have in recent times blamed the economy for the various increase in fare as a result of the high cost of Jet A1 which consume almost 70 percent of their operational costs.

Another area they pointed out was the high cost of maintenance and non-availability of spares in the face of the rising rate of forex, DailyTimesNGR gathered.

But for Olumide Ohunayo an aviation analyst, the fares are dropping but the rate of Naira to the dollar is increasing at the highest ever that the country has ever experienced adding that what the passengers were supposed to gain in the fuel price that is dropping has been taking oven by the astronomical fall of the Naira.

Ohunayo noted that the expenses of airlines of forty-five percent payment were done in dollars such as servicing, training, and spares, and was causing them more money.

He said it will reflect immediately except the Naira continued to appreciate to meet with the general fall of the cost of aviation fuel

Ohunayo noted that with the increasing capacity of airlines in the country ought to help cushion the effect of the exit of Aero and Dana but noted unfortunately that the capacity was not enough

The investigation further revealed that getting aviation fuel from the northern part of the country is more expensive than other parts hence the higher airfare in the north.

But experts are of the view that as soon as the Naira appreciates, airfares will reduce, it is not however certain if there will be a recipe for air travelers as the yuletide season approaches.

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo
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