PREMIUM airfares on domestic airlines with operations to the Eastern parts of the country, particularly to the Port Harcourt Airport were raised yesterday by over 100 per cent.
Certain tickets to Port Harcourt, Owerri and Enugu which standard rate cost between N13,000 and N15,000 depending on the carrier were sold for N35,000 for a one way trip.
The fares were charged yesterday by Virgin Nigeria, Arik and Aero Contractors airlines.
The astronomical air fare is not unconnected with the large influx of passengers to the East for the Christmas holiday, as Easterners from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world are arrived for the Yuletide.
Apart from the high fares, which some intending passengers are willing to pay, seat availability is another issue they have to contend with, as all seats have been fully booked till December 25.
It was a big drama when The Guardian visited both the old domestic and the new domestic terminals as people were seen begging airlines openly to accommodate them on their flights.
The chaotic nature of the area forced some to contemplate travelling by road as an alternative to the high rise in airfares, coupled with the non-availability of seats.
A passenger who spoke at the new terminal lamented that he arrived with his family from London yesterday morning on Virgin Atlantic only for him to be told that the flights had been fully booked.
He said he was ready to pay higher fares to get to Owerri or Port Harcourt where his brothers and mother were.
He explained that he was still optimistic of getting seats “at all costs to his final destination”.
The Guardian learnt that touts are capitalising on the situation by buying tickets from the airlines, and reselling them to the highest bidders.
A top official of Chanchangi Airlines who pleaded anonymity said that the number of passengers on the Eastern routes had put a lot of pressure on the airlines, particularly because only a few airlines had scaled the re-capitalization while many went under.
The rise, he said, was only for a short period, adding that in their case, demand had outnumbered supply
Souce: The Guardian