Domestic Airlines Revert To Lower Fares

Domestic airline operators
said ticket prices had been returned to their normal levels after five
days of fare hikes.

Some of the airline
officials told newsmen that the fares went up between September 21 and
September 24 because of an increase in air travellers.

The increase was
also caused by the disruption of Arik Air operations by aviation sector unions
that claimed the airline was owing huge sums to their employers.

The situation was then compounded by the River Niger
overflowing of its banks and bursting onto the Lokoja-Abuja highway, forcing
the FRSC to close the main artery to protect the lives of motorists and
passengers.

Some passengers told newsmen that the large crowd of
passengers at the airport was due to the flooding in Lokoja which prevented
people from travelling by road.

A passenger, Mr Bola Aguda, said he came to the airport
because of the closure of the Lokoja-Abuja road. “I have a phobia for
travelling by air but with the situation in Lokoja, I am more scared now.

“I believe most of the people you see here today are like
me.

“Although the air ticket PRICE is high, I have no choice now
but to go with any available airline that I can afford.

“All the prices are almost the same, I may as well travel
with anyone so far as they will not cancel the flight,’’ he said.

Miss Rita Ejor, a ticketing official of Overland Airline,
said that the airline only changed its price for two days due to the disruption
of Arik Air services but had returned to the normal price.

“Last week, we increased our air fare from N28,000 to
N30,000 due to the large number of passengers and because some other airlines
like Arik that ply same routes with us were not on ground.

“Even though the crowd of passengers since last week has
increased, we have reduced our price because Arik Air resumed and we now have a
competitor,’’ she said.

IRS station Manager, Mr Muyiwa Adesanya, also told newsmen
that the reason the airlines charged higher last week was due to the peak
period, adding that the price had been reverted since Monday.

“A lot happened last week that jacked up air fares a little
but now we are carrying passengers at the normal and reasonable rate.

“It is normal to experience price increase during peak
periods.

“In our own case, for now, we have no intention of
increasing our air fares.

“The decision to review air fare is that of the management
and the regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority,’’
Adesanya said.