NCAA tackles foreign airlines to unblock low-inventory flight tickets for Nigerians
As Nigerians navigate the complexities of international travel amidst rising cost of airfares, the Director-General of Civil Aviation Authority in Nigeria (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, has assured that the agency will explore avenues to mitigate the impact.
A statement signed by the DGCA disclosed that the Authority has set up a 10-man Committee to address the exorbitant prices of air tickets in the country.
This initiative comes in the wake of a crucial two-day summit between the NCAA and foreign airlines operating in Nigeria, emphasising the urgent necessity to unblock long-held low inventory tickets, which had been inaccessible for over 18 months.
An airline’s inventory consists of the seats that it has on each flight with different fare classes, which provides a plethora of choices for passengers. For instance, some airlines offer four main cabin classes – Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First Class – at various prices, ranging from low to high.
The problem, however, is that foreign airlines that operate in Nigeria have blocked the low fare classes – Economy and Premium Economy, leaving only high fare classes – Business and First Class, which are too expensive for Nigerian travellers.
Hence, the committee, chaired by Mr. Horatius Egua, Director of Special Duties at NCAA, has been tasked with ensuring full compliance from foreign airlines in unblocking low inventory tickets, as well as recommending fair pricing strategies in alignment with similar markets in the West African sub-region.
Expressing concern over the unjustifiable hike in airfares, Egua, representing Najomo, emphasised the discriminatory nature of the current pricing structure, highlighting the vast disparities in ticket costs between Nigeria and neighbouring countries, despite similar distances and operational parameters.
“This is very discriminatory in nature. We cannot continue to pay higher fares compared to other countries in the sub-region that have similar distances, using the same operating aircraft,” stated Egua, denouncing the unfair practice.
“For instance, a distance of six hours from Ghana to London may sometimes cost about $800 while a similar distance with similar operating aircraft cost over $2000 in Nigeria. This is discriminatory and an unfair practice and we reject this in totality,” he further stated.
The Authority disclosed that the culmination of grievances from Nigerian travellers prompted it to convene a high-level meeting with foreign airlines, facilitated at the NCAA headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance representatives from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
According to the NCAA, the meeting resulted in strong condemnations from the Authority regarding the exorbitant fares and discriminatory practices against Nigerian travelers.
Key resolutions included immediate reductions in ticket costs and the unconditional release of lower inventory tickets to the Nigerian market.
In response to the Authority’s directives, several international carriers, including Lufthansa German Airlines, KLM, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, Royal Air Maroc, RwandAir, and Turkish Airlines, were said to have complied by releasing all categories of low inventory tickets, apart from Air France that is yet to adhere to the directives.
The Authority said despite indicating that they have complied with the directive, none of the foreign airlines has adjusted their ticket pricing to reflect market realities as earlier instructed.
Assuring Nigerian travellers of continued advocacy, Captain Chris Najomo, DGCA, reaffirmed the NCAA’s commitment to safeguarding their interests amidst ongoing efforts to make air travel more accessible and affordable.
