Air travellers are having the best of times as airlines now charge lower fares to destinations in the country following increased capacity as new airlines start flight operations in the nation’s domestic airline market.
Investigations by our correspondent showed that passengers can pay as low as N10, 000 to undertake trips to some destinations within the country even as some airlines are willing to take as low as N8, 000 to these same destinations.
This is coming following the entrance of Peace Air which started operations with seven aircraft.
Other airlines that made this possible include Azman Air, Discovery Air and FirstNation Airways. These airlines have boosted the capacity in the domestic market with additional aircraft, thus making the airfares more competitive with passengers having more choices. For instance, Discovery Air is now wooing passengers with this catch phrase, “Everywhere in Nigeria from N8,000,” while Dana Air has a bold banner at the Murtala Muhammed Two (MMA2) Terminal wooing passengers to travel with it for fares as low as N10,000 when they book on line.
When our correspondent visited the MMA2 Terminal from where most of the airlines operate their flights, it was noticed that airfares to destinations like Abuja, even with the established airlines which a few months ago cost over N30, 000 for a one-way journey now goes for between N12, 300 to N25,000 depending on the time of travel and it could be lower when the customer books online or some days ahead of the journey. Currently, some of the new airlines charge between N15, 000 to N17,300 for a one hour journey from Lagos to Abuja while some of the established airlines charge from N25,000 to N27,000 for a one-way journey and it could also be less depending on the time of travel.
A customer who recently undertook a journey from Lagos to Abuja described the situation as very good, especially for the travellers who now have a choice to decide which airline to travel with based on what they can afford and their perception of the airlines’ services.
However, industry analysts have sounded a note of warning seeking for the standardisation of airfares in order not to start a fare war which might result in some airlines operating at a loss in their attempts to fill their aircraft.
According to an industry analyst and former president, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Mr Sheri Kyari, if airlines start operating at a loss, some of them might be tempted to start cutting corners in terms of their safety oversights.
