“We've to Pray”: Airlines Reveal Why Flight Ticket is No Longer N60k and What to Expect in Dec
- Nigerian airline operators have explained why a stronger naira will not reduce ticket prices
- Airfares are now at nearly N200,000 for economy seats, and the operators say it is unlikely to drop soon
- The operators also provided various reasons why airlines such as Air Peace, Aero, and United Airlines will not be reducing prices
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Nigerian airlines will not reduce prices for air tickets for domestic travel despite the appreciation of the naira against the dollar.
This was disclosed by Obiora Okonkwo, the spokesperson of Airline Operators of Nigeria and the chairman of United Nigeria Airline.
Source: Getty Images
Speaking on AriseTV, Okonkwo said it is unlikely that airfares will reduce soon regardless of naira appreciation.
Legit.ng reports that the average prices of air tickets have surged from around N60,000 to nearly N200,000 for economy seats.
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Okonkwo argued that airline operators are the "biggest losers" from the high cost of airline tickets.
He said with the high cost of tickets, operators are "still very considerate".
His words:
"We have to pray that it will not go higher because we don't have free funds, and we cannot sustain or bear losses.
“What is important in every flight is the number of passengers that you have on that flight at an average rate. It pays us to have a full flight at a certain affordable price.
“So, we know the higher the prices the fewer the passenger. If I sell an economy ticket for N200,000 and a flight that has about 160 passenger capacity and I carry 20-30 passengers, I am at a huge loss. I will rather want to sell it at N70,000 or N75,000 and carry full passenger, yet there is a cost.”
Whistler reports that Okonkwo called on the government to find solutions to the industry's challenges.
Okonkwo said:
“The immediate relief that we will give is that you may not see a continuous increase in air ticket rate, but for it to change overnight, we had said over and over again that for all the flights that we have been making since January this year, it is being subsidized by the operators and for the reason that the cost of operation is very high, we don’t have access to cheap funds and any slightest change in all these monetary issues affects us. You can’t be changing prices every day and minute and all that.
“What happened is that we have been praying and hoping that there will be change in the rate of the forex and it wasn’t coming and gradually, there was a progressive change in the cost of tickets.
“We don’t change our tickets like the cost of forex. Buying a ticket is not like buying forex. You have a procedure you have to go through before you can change prices. A typical operator doesn’t make money from the high cost of a ticket.”
"FG asks us to paint our aircraft": Ethiopian Airlines reveals full details on Nigeria Air deal
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ethiopian Airlines (ET) management denied misconduct allegations in the Nigeria Air national carrier deal.
Mesfin Tasew, the chief executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines, stated that their primary role was to establish a solid national flag carrier.
He also refuted claims that former Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika paid Ethiopian Airlines billions to provide an aircraft repainted with the Nigerian Air logo for the launch at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, just days before the previous administration's exit.
Source: Legit.ng
