Insecurity: Passengers’ Influx Pushes Up Air Fares
LAGOS AUGUST 2ND (NEWSRANGERS)-The number of air travellers has increased recently over insecurity in many parts of the country, Daily Trust can report.
This has also resulted in marginal hike in air fares, random checks by our correspondent have shown.
The routes where passengers’ turnout has recorded influx in recent times are the South East and South-South as well as some parts of the West.
For instance, Lagos-Akure route has now become hotcake due to what sources attributed to fear of insecurity.
It was learnt that Air Peace one daily flight to Akure on one of its Embraer 145 aircraft which has capacity for 50 passengers records large turnout of travellers on a daily basis.
A former presidential aspirant, Dr. Thomas Wilson-Ikubese, who is based in Akure, in a recent update on his Facebook timeline sent an appeal to the management of Air Peace to increase its
frequencies to Akure or deploy a bigger aircraft. He confirmed that more people travel by air to Akure because of fear of insecurity following cases of kidnapping on the axis.
Checks by Daily Trust showed that a one-way ticket to Akure from Lagos now goes for as much as N32,000 from N28,000. The flight is about 20 minutes from Lagos. Our correspondent also learnt that the South-East states have become another hot cake for airlines plying the route.
An airline staff who spoke with Daily Trust, yesterday, said: “I can confirm to you that more people now travel by air though I don’t have the figures. You will see that when NCAA releases the quarterly passenger statistics.”
A passenger told our correspondent, yesterday, that he bought a one-way ticket for Lagos-Enugu flight for N42,000. It was N30,000 before the increase. “I know that when you are booking for a trip tomorrow, the price may be a bit high but my flight is coming up in four days. I couldn’t believe the fare I got but it appears this is because there is oversubscription of sorts happening. It is really a windfall for airlines,” the passenger said under anonymity.
Another instance of the high fare is the Ilorin route where one trip goes for as high as N42,000. Only two domestic airlines operate to Ilorin airport; they are Arik and Overland. While Overland operates daily flight, Arik does thrice a week.
Daily Trust reports that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has deregulated air fares giving the airlines free hand to determine ticket prices based on market forces.
Speaking with our correspondent, yesterday, spokesman of Air Peace, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, restated that air fares still remain deregulated. He said the regulatory body only frowned at predatory practices.
Dailytrust
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Posted by News Rangers
on Aug 2 2019. Filed under National.
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