The Federal Government of Nigeria has threatened to slam sanctions on foreign airlines that fail to comply with the directive to release low inventory tickets within weeks.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had met with airline operators, the NCAA, foreign airlines, and the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies in Abuja last week where the directive was handed down.
During the meeting, the foreign airlines pledged to enhance transparency in air ticketing processes by releasing low inventory tickets, making them significantly more affordable for the Nigerian middle class.
This followed the release by the Federal Government of part of the $700m trapped air ticket funds to foreign airlines.
However, findings by Africa Today News, New York showed that not all the foreign airlines had complied with the directive.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said in an exclusive with Sunday PUNCH that defaulting airlines risked sanctions.
The NCAA public affairs director stated in an interview with one of our correspondents on Saturday, “The meeting between the NCAA and the foreign airlines had NANTA present.
“They confirmed the opening of those low inventory tickets. During our discussions with the airlines, we allowed them into the meeting one after the other and some claimed that in their agencies, low inventories were opened.
“We had NANTA confirm this in the meeting and discovered that some of the airlines were not being truthful about it. Consequently, we instructed them to open those low-inventory tickets.
“A majority of them are reported to have complied by opening low-inventory tickets. For those that are yet to do so, we have given them a week or thereabout. I will need to check with the chairman to confirm the exact number of weeks given to them to comply.
“Within the scope of the NCAA, there will be sanctions applicable to airlines that do not comply with these directives. We made that very clear. However, I need to confirm the deadline to comply with the committee.”
Price checks by Africa Today News, New York revealed significant discrepancies in ticket prices. While some tickets are sold at over N1m, others exceed N3m.
A round-trip economy class ticket from Lagos to London with Air France costs N2,482,138, while for Lufthansa, it is priced at N1,966,165. Qatar Airways offers the same ticket for N2,016,824, and KLM prices it at N2,448,740.
For the Lagos to New York route on Qatar Airways, the cost is N2,982,049. Meanwhile, KLM charges N3,158,314; Air France prices it at N3,148,308; and United Airlines lists it at N3,193,185. Delta Air Lines offers the ticket for N3,310,097.
The Lagos to London flight with Kenya Airways attracts N1,258,857. Asky Airlines prices it at N1,572,617, while Qatar Airways charges N1,639,602.
From Lagos to Canada, Delta Air Lines economy tickets cost N1,982,017. United Airlines charges N3,188,672; Qatar Airways, N2,511,041; and Air France, N2,660,376.
Nigerian passengers are grappling with challenges stemming from fluctuating exchange rates, resulting in increased travel costs and unpredictability.
The surge in Jet A1 fuel price further compounds the issue, with airfares across various airlines experiencing an increase in recent weeks.