The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed a surge in domestic airfares across Nigeria, with the average price for a single journey now reaching N123,000.
This represents a 25 percent increase from July 2024, according to the latest August Transport Fare Watch report.
The NBS stated, “In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey was N123,700.14 in August 2024, showing an increase of 25.51% while compared to the previous month (July 2024).”
The report also highlighted a year-on-year increase of 56.56% from N79,011.38 in August 2023.
Niger State emerged as the most expensive for air travel, with an average ticket price of N129,575.21, closely followed by Abuja at N129,442.67. On the other end of the spectrum, Zamfara recorded the lowest fares at N102,665.89, with Cross River following at N120,088.93.
While air travel costs have risen dramatically, the NBS reported a decrease in intra-city bus fares.
“The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop decreased to 7.77% from N942.61 in July 2024 to N869.35 in August 2024,” the bureau noted.
This represents a year-on-year decline of 34.95% from N1,336.38 in August 2023.
Intercity bus travel saw a slight increase, with the average fare rising by 0.59% to N7,159.00 in August 2024 from N7,117.17 in July 2024. The year-on-year increase for this category was 20.97% from N5,918.18 in August 2023.
At the state level, Anambra recorded the highest intercity bus fares at N9,580.85, followed by Gombe at N8,349.26. Kwara and Ebonyi offered the most affordable intercity bus travel at N5,574.46 and N5,614.81, respectively.
For intra-city bus journeys, Zamfara State topped the list with fares of N1,155.52, closely followed by Ondo at N1,065.20.
