Nigerians must work an average of 37.6 days to afford a plane ticket, according to a new report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) titled: “The Value of Air Transport to Nigeria.”
The report noted that despite a 43 per cent fall in real airfares between 2011 and 2023, air travel remains out of reach for most citizens. Globally, the cost of flying has fallen by 70 per cent in the past 50 years, but affordability remains a challenge in Nigeria.
“The cost of flying impacts the magnitude of the benefits that can be generated by air travel. In the past 50 years, flight costs have decreased by 70 per cent globally, making air transport more accessible. The average real airfare in Nigeria decreased by 43 per cent between 2011 and 2023, with the local population now needing to work 37.6 days to afford a plane ticket. Overall, 40 flights per 1,000 population were taken in 2023,” the report stated.
In 2023, just 40 flights per 1,000 Nigerians were taken, underscoring the limited scale of aviation in a nation of over 200 million people.
The industry directly employs 39,500 people and generates $702 million in output, equivalent to 0.2 per cent of GDP. When indirect contributions such as supply chain activities, employee spending, and tourism are included, aviation’s impact rises to $2.5 billion, supporting about 216,700 jobs.
Tourism supported by aviation added $454.1 million to GDP and employed 66,600 people in 2023. IATA estimated that international visitors spent $760.2 million on goods and services in Nigeria last year.
The report also highlighted that 195,700 tonnes of air cargo were moved through Nigerian airports in 2023, enabling trade and e-commerce growth. Connectivity, however, remains weak: only 23 per cent of total departures were international, with 38 per cent of those bound for Europe, 23 per cent for Africa, and 18 per cent for North America.
Since 2014, Nigeria’s international air connectivity index has declined by 1.5 per cent within Africa and by 21 per cent with other regions. IATA stressed that developing aviation networks will be critical to Nigeria’s long-term economic growth.
