Local Airlines Record Drastic Drop In Passengers After 63% Hike In Fares
LAGOS, NIGERIA
Local airlines in Nigeria are currently experiencing a low turnout of passengers following a 63 per cent hike in fare. This has become the order of the day barely two days after the hike took full effect.
As observed by TalkGlitz, some local airlines have been conveying passengers in flights that are not even one-fourth filled.
A Twitter user,Ikenna whose handle is@Furwriter also confirmed the recent trend as the flight he board could be seen as almost empty.
Local airfares’ baseline appreciated by 63 per cent, at the weekend, in response to a spike in the price of aviation fuel and the attendant cost of operation.
The upward adjustment pegged the minimum Economy Class ticket at around N50,000 for future flights, with ‘today’s flight’ travellers buying the same one-hour, one-way economy tickets at an average of N80,000 each.
With aviation fuel increasing by over 100 per cent in the last year, the upswing in base fares has been long in coming.
Jet A1, accounts for between 30 to 40 per cent of operating costs. It sold for an average of N190/litre a year ago. It now sells for between N420 and N429 per litre at some airports nationwide.