High Air Fares Under Scrutiny as Senate Summons Aviation Minister

The Senate has called Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and other important industry players for an urgent meeting to mitigate the impact on air travelers in response to public outrage over soaring domestic prices in Nigeria.

We specifically asked Keyamo, airline operators, regulators, and other industry stakeholders to appear before the upper legislative chamber’s Committee on Aviation this week to explain the causes of the skyrocketing fares and to devise a quick plan for stabilizing them prior to the Yuletide travel rush.

The Senate’s resolution came after Senator AbdulFatai Buhari (APC Oyo North) made a motion during Tuesday’s plenary on a matter of urgent national importance, warning that the abrupt increase in airfares poses a serious threat to mobility and could cause travel disruptions across the country in the coming days.

A one-way ticket from Abuja to Lagos now costs between N400,000 and N600,000, which many individuals can no longer afford, Buhari stated during the motion’s presentation.

He pointed out that Nigerians who travel by air have experienced significant inconvenience as a result of the situation, claiming that increased insecurity in the nation is forcing them to give up using roads and railroads.

“We must ask our airline agencies’ stakeholders to engage and discuss the problems. The congressman stated that immediate action must be taken prior to the holiday season.

Senator Solomon Adeola (APC Ogun West), who contributed to the motion, stated that airline companies should be held responsible for the price increases because they have already received a number of concessions, especially with regard to the pricing of spare parts.

According to Senator Adamu Aliero (APC Kebbi Central), the abrupt increase in airfares necessitated the invitation of the minister and other interested parties in order to find a solution.

Additionally, while calling for the creation of a national carrier, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi (APC Ebonyi North) declared the 400 percent increase unacceptable and urged the Aviation Minister to step up.

However, a number of senators vehemently disagreed with Senator Orji Kalu’s (APC Abia North) justification of the flight fare rises, citing growing operating expenses and the skyrocketing cost of spare parts.