Domestic air travel fares in Nigeria have seen a significant increase, rising by 25.51 per cent in August 2024. The average fare for a single journey on specified routes reached N123,700.14, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Transport Fare Watch report for the same month.
Niger State recorded the highest fare for air transport at N129,575.21, followed closely by Abuja at N129,442.67. On the other hand, Zamfara and Cross River reported the lowest fares, with prices at N102,665.89 and N120,088.93, respectively.
Regionally, the South-East posted the highest average air fare at N125,640.19, while the North-West had the lowest at N121,957.18. The report revealed that, compared to July 2024, fares rose by 25.51 per cent, while year-on-year, air fares jumped by a staggering 56.56 per cent, up from N79,011.38 in August 2023.
The NBS report also covered other transportation sectors. For example, bus transport within cities saw a notable 7.77 per cent decrease in fares, dropping from N942.61 in July to N869.35 in August 2024. Year-on-year, city bus fares declined by 34.95 per cent from N1,336.38 in August 2023.
Conversely, intercity bus fares experienced a small 0.59 per cent month-on-month increase, rising from N7,117.17 in July 2024 to N7,159.00 in August. Over the past year, intercity bus fares climbed by 20.97 per cent, reflecting higher long-distance travel costs.
Motorcycle (Okada) fares increased by 8.46 per cent, reaching N524.22 in August 2024, compared to N483.33 in July. However, on a year-on-year basis, motorcycle fares saw a decline of 18.87 per cent from N646.12 in August 2023.
Water transport fares experienced moderate growth, with a 3.30 per cent increase from July, bringing the average fare to N1,449.34 in August 2024. Year-on-year, water transport fares grew marginally by 3.03 per cent, up from N1,406.74 in August 2023.
Regionally, Anambra recorded the highest intercity bus fare, averaging N9,580.85, followed by Gombe at N8,349.26. Kwara had the lowest intercity bus fare at N5,574.46, with Ebonyi trailing closely at N5,614.81.
In terms of water transport, Bayelsa topped the charts with the highest fare of N4,563.98, followed by Delta at N4,261.55. Meanwhile, Borno and Gombe reported the lowest fares at N475.89 and N619.19, respectively.
This array of fare fluctuations across different transportation modes reflects the complexity of Nigeria’s transport sector, driven by varying regional and economic factors affecting travel costs across the country.
