The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has dismissed claims that government taxes were responsible for the sharp rise in domestic airfa...
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has dismissed claims that government taxes were responsible for the sharp rise in domestic airfares recorded in December, insisting that the increases were driven purely by market forces.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, clarified the issue in a post on his X handle on Sunday, stating that high passenger demand during the festive season was the major factor behind the fare surge.
According to Achimugu, the increase in ticket prices was limited to certain high-traffic routes and follows a recurring annual pattern associated with increased travel during the Christmas and New Year period.
He noted that the trend is not peculiar to the aviation sector, explaining that transport fares, hotel rates, and food prices typically rise during the festive season due to heightened demand.
“It is market forces. It is Nigerians on Nigerians. This is not the government,” Achimugu said. “December airfares have absolutely nothing to do with taxes. Taxes did not increase in December, and airfares will most likely go down after the second week of January.”
He expressed concern over what he described as persistent misinformation surrounding the issue, stressing that the NCAA had repeatedly engaged domestic airlines to clarify claims about excessive taxation.
“Lies have been told over this matter over and over. I have addressed this on national TV, major news platforms, and via my X handle,” he said. “While the NCAA does not regulate airfares, I invited all domestic airlines and asked them about these taxes they keep talking about. They all admitted they do not pay the volume of taxes being bandied around.”
Achimugu also dismissed claims that Nigerian airlines pay as many as 18 different taxes, describing such assertions as false and misleading.
“Any domestic airline that says they pay 18 taxes is lying,” he stated. “I invited all domestic airlines and asked them directly, and they all admitted they do not pay the figures being mentioned publicly.”
The NCAA’s clarification follows comments by Air Peace Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, who claimed that Nigerians pay the cheapest domestic airfares globally and that airlines retain only about ₦81,000 from a ₦350,000 ticket after taxes and charges.
However, the NCAA rejected the suggestion that taxes and charges were responsible for the high ticket prices witnessed during the yuletide period.
Achimugu questioned the justification for fares reportedly reaching as high as ₦500,000 for flights lasting less than an hour, noting that there had been no increase in taxes or jet fuel prices during the period.
“If high taxes were the reason airfares were ₦150,000 to ₦200,000, why did tickets sell for as high as ₦500,000 for a 45-minute trip when the said taxes did not increase?” he asked.
He further expressed concern over what he described as repeated attempts to blame the government, despite what he said was unprecedented support for domestic airlines under the current administration.
According to him, recent policy reforms now allow Nigerian airlines access to dry-leased aircraft, a development he described as a major boost to local operators after decades of restrictions.
“The level of support provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Director General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, does not justify why the government keeps being blamed,” Achimugu said.
He added that consultations with airlines, travel agents, and relevant departments within the NCAA do not support the narrative that government taxes were responsible for the December airfare surge, urging the public to disregard what he described as misleading claims.
No comments