The Nigerian Senate has summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, after a sharp rise in domestic airfares that has left many travellers shocked ahead of the Christmas season.
Lawmakers said ticket prices jumped steeply in recent weeks.
Some one-way fares on busy routes now cost between ₦400,000 and ₦600,000, they told the Senate, up from roughly ₦120,000 earlier in the year.
Senators demanded answers on the cause of the rise and asked that airline operators, regulators and other stakeholders appear before the Senate committee to explain themselves.
“We need to invite stakeholders of our airline agencies to interact and interrogate the issues. Immediate steps must be taken before the festive period,” a senator said on the Senate floor.
Industry groups and airlines say several factors are pushing fares up. These include a new charge from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, higher costs for spare parts, fuel price rises, a weak naira, and other taxes and fees.
You will recall that the NCAA introduced an extra $11.50 charge per international ticket from 1 December, adding to existing levies that increase the cost of travel.
The aviation minister said the government will meet with airlines to find solutions, but stressed that the sector is deregulated.
“We are speaking with the airlines to find out what their issues are, but this is a deregulated industry, so we cannot fix prices,” he told reporters, adding the government will encourage competition to drive prices down.
The Senate will be hearing on the matter soon. It also remains to be seen what the airlines will do now that the legislative arm of government has stepped in.
