Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has said Nigerians are paying the cheapest domestic air fares in the world, even as local airlines implement significant price increases during the yuletide season.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Onyema insisted that air travel within Nigeria remains cheaper than comparable routes abroad.

“Nigerians are flying the cheapest fares in the world, domestically. Generally, even this season, Nigerians are paying the cheapest. And I’ll prove it to you now,” he said.

Onyema argued that one-hour flights outside Nigeria often cost more than $400, while similar routes within the country are still available for as low as N125,000, a disparity he said contributes to the high failure rate of Nigerian airlines.

During the interview, Onyema offered specific international comparisons to support his claims. He cited Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta–Charleston route, a flight lasting under 50 minutes, priced at about $399 one-way for mid-January 2026, which he said translates to over N600,000 at current exchange rates.

“Atlanta to Charleston is about less than 50 minutes by flight. It’s like going to Owerri or thereabouts. Today, it’s selling, in two weeks’ time, for about 400 and something dollars,” he said.

“One-hour flight costs over $400 out there. For a main cabin, it’s $459. One way is $399 for two weeks’ time. Then maybe in the morning, in the afternoon, it’s about $400 and something. But the basics, $399, when you multiply that by N1,500, you’ll be getting over N600,000.

“If it’s $400, you’re getting almost N600,000. In Nigeria, we still have tickets for N125,000. We have tickets for N115,000 in Nigeria, which is less than $60.”

The Air Peace boss rejected arguments that aviation pricing should vary significantly by country, stressing that airlines operate under similar global cost structures.

“Aviation is the same aviation worldwide. We buy our spares from the same market.

“You buy your aircraft from the same market. In fact, they’re even in a better state than us. What’s all the financing? They borrow money at 2%. Nigerian airlines borrow at 35%.

“The next shop, they could get their spare parts or engines from the next shop. In fact, the same airport where they operate from, the MRO might be there.

“For the Nigerian airline to do any maintenance that requires base maintenance, you have to ferry your aircraft, spending about $400,000 just on ferrying alone. If you want to bring back your engine, you can pay as much as $1.5 million.

“And when you talk about Europe or whatever, you cannot compare. It’s the same aviation, the same amount of money, the same dollar. Nothing is produced in Nigeria.”

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