The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has revealed evidence suggesting that some domestic airlines may have manipulated flight fares during the December 2025 festive travel rush.
This has raised concerns over possible consumer exploitation and anti-competitive behaviour in the aviation sector.
In an interim report released on Thursday by the FCCPC’s Department of Surveillance and Investigations, the commission said its forensic review of airfare data from several carriers operating local routes showed that ticket prices during the peak season were significantly higher than those charged in January 2026.
This was despite key cost drivers such as aviation fuel prices, government taxes and foreign exchange rates remaining stable
The agency began the industry-wide probe in January after a wave of complaints from passengers about rising costs of travel over the festive period.
The forensic comparison looked at fares during the December holiday surge against post-peak levels in January, finding that the differences “appear to reflect airlines’ arbitrary pricing decisions” rather than changes in regulatory or operating costs.
According to the report, on certain high-density corridors such as Abuja–Port Harcourt, peak festive fares were recorded at several times the cost of equivalent tickets after the holidays. In some cases, the gap between peak and off-peak ticket prices on selected routes reached about ₦405,000 for a single journey.
Median fares across the sampled routes also rose sharply during the December travel window.
The FCCPC noted that pricing increases coincided with reduced seat availability at predictable peak travel times, a pattern the commission says may indicate deliberate supply constraints by carriers.
However, the interim report also acknowledged that seasonal demand pressures, fleet utilisation and scheduling limitations can legitimately affect pricing during peak seasons, and these factors remain under review as part of the ongoing probe.
Speaking on the findings, FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tunji Bello said the exercise is part of the commission’s statutory mandate to promote competition and protect consumers in Nigeria’s markets.
Bello emphasised that the current report is preliminary and that further analysis will guide the commission’s next steps, including whether any regulatory guidance, enforcement action or engagement with airlines is needed in accordance with the law.
The interim report also flagged several sections of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 as potentially relevant to the conduct identified, including provisions dealing with anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominance, price-fixing, conspiracy and unfair contract terms.
In a future phase of the inquiry, the FCCPC plans to extend its scrutiny to foreign airlines operating in Nigeria, following complaints that some international carriers appear to charge Nigerian passengers more on certain routes compared with fares in neighbouring countries covering similar distances.
The ongoing investigation comes amid broader public concern over high airfare pricing in Nigeria, particularly during holiday travel peaks, and may have significant implications for competition and consumer protection in the nation’s aviation sector.
