The Senate on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and leading aviation stakeholders for an emergency meeting following widespread outrage over an “unacceptable and exploitative” surge in domestic airfares.
Addressing the chamber in plenary, lawmakers called for measures to prevent airlines from exploiting travellers during the Christmas season.
Specifically, senators decried the “unjustifiable” sharp rise in ticket prices on major routes such as Abuja–Lagos, Abuja–Enugu, and Abuja–Ilorin, which have escalated to between N400,000 and N650,000, putting air travel out of reach for many Nigerians.
While condemning the sudden nationwide fare hike, the Senate demanded the immediate appearance of all aviation stakeholders and directed its aviation committees to submit urgent recommendations for consideration.
Moving the motion, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Abdulfatai Buhari, warned that preliminary findings indicated that steep ticket prices had forced many Nigerians to shelve travel plans this December.
“Mr President, from Abuja to Lagos is now between 400,000 and 650,000 naira. Abuja to Enugu is about 500,000. Even Abuja to Ilorin is around 450,000,” he said. With Christmas approaching, Senate intervention was deemed necessary to reduce pressure on citizens.
Buhari revealed that, although the committee held informal interactions with airline operators, there had been no official engagement, necessitating the Senate’s summons of all major operators, regulators, and industry heads to explain the fare regime and propose immediate relief strategies.
In debate on the motion, senators across parties condemned the rises. Peter Nwebonyi noted that flights to Enugu which had previously cost N150,000 were now N500,000, and another passenger recently purchased a Lagos–Abuja ticket for N560,000.
The Appropriations Committee chairman, Solomon Adeola, reminded senators that airline operators had received multiple government concessions, especially regarding spare parts, and should be made accountable for the spike in prices.
Orji Uzor Kalu sought to justify the new rates, citing inflation, foreign exchange challenges, operational costs and expensive spare parts. His arguments were rejected by several senators, who insisted the fare hike represented daylight exploitation.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio agreed with the majority, describing the situation as intolerable.
“Minimum wage is N70,000. A civil servant would need to save six months’ salary to afford a one-way ticket. This is glaring exploitation,” he said, emphasising that neither airport levies nor aviation service charges had increased to justify a 200 to 300 percent rise in airfares.
Following a lengthy debate, the Senate resolved to summon the Minister of Aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and all airline operators to a crisis meeting within the week.
