The Senate has strongly condemned what it described as outrageous and unacceptable increases in local flight fares across the country in recent weeks. Lawmakers say the sudden hike has placed unbearable pressure on air travellers and must be urgently investigated.
At Tuesday’s plenary in Abuja, the Senate resolved to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter and summoned all major players in the aviation sector to appear before the Senate Committee on Aviation.
Those invited include the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo; heads of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); local airline operators; and other key aviation stakeholders.
The Senate Committee on Aviation, chaired by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (APC, Oyo North), has been directed to meet with the stakeholders as soon as possible, preferably before the Senate proceeds on its Christmas and end-of-year recess in about two weeks.
The decision followed a motion moved by Senator Buhari, who raised alarm over steep increases in domestic flight tickets in the last three months. According to him, many Nigerians have complained about the skyrocketing fares, prompting the need for the Senate to intervene.
Senator Buhari explained that the committee had previously held informal discussions with airline operators to understand the reasons behind the price hikes, but the engagement yielded no meaningful results.
“Some Nigerians have complained a lot about these outrageous airfares. We tried to talk to the airline operators informally, but nothing came out of it,” he said. “There is an urgent need for the Senate to invite all aviation stakeholders to address this problem once and for all.”
He revealed that some airlines were now charging between N500,000 and N650,000 for a one-way ticket from Lagos to Abuja, fares that usually range between N150,000 and N250,000 under normal circumstances.
Other senators who contributed to the debate confirmed that they had personally witnessed similar excessive charges from operators in recent days. They expressed worry that the price surge was exploitative, especially at a time when many citizens are already burdened by economic hardship.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio supported the motion, stressing that airline operators must be called to order.
He acknowledged that the current situation amounted to exploitation of Nigerian air travellers and suggested that a functioning national carrier could have provided more affordable alternatives.
“Nigerians are clearly being exploited,” Akpabio said. “If Nigeria Air was operational, it would have shown sympathy to Nigerian travellers by offering lower fares.”
With the resolution passed, all summoned stakeholders are expected to appear before the committee for questioning as the Senate seeks to determine the reasons behind the sudden fare hike and ensure corrective measures are taken.
