by The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported a significant increase in domestic airfares across Nigeria, with the average price of a flight ticket rising to N123,700.14 in August 2024. This marks a 25.51% increase from July 2024.
According to the NBS “Transport Fare Watch” report, this increase also represents a 56.56% rise compared to August 2023, when the average airfare was N79,011.38.
Highest and Lowest Airfares by Region
The report highlighted Niger state as having the highest average airfares in August, with tickets costing N129,575.21 for a single journey. Close behind was Abuja, where the average fare was N129,442.67.
On the other end, Zamfara state recorded the lowest airfare at N102,665.89, followed by Cross River state with N120,088.93.
In terms of regional differences, the southeast zone recorded the highest average airfares at N125,640.19, followed by the north-central zone with N125,420.29. The northwest zone had the lowest average at N121,957.18.
Bus Fare Changes
For bus commuters, there was a slight decrease in the average fare within cities. The fare dropped by 7.77% from N942.61 in July to N869.35 in August 2024. Year-on-year, this marks a 34.95% decline from N1,336.38 in August 2023.
For intercity bus travel, the average fare increased slightly by 0.59%, from N7,117.17 in July 2024 to N7,159.00 in August. Compared to August 2023, when the average was N5,918.18, the fare increased by 20.97%.
Anambra and Gombe states recorded the highest intercity bus fares, at N9,580.85 and N8,349.26 respectively. The lowest fares were seen in Kwara (N5,574.46) and Ebonyi (N5,614.81).
Within cities, Zamfara had the highest bus fare at N1,155.52, followed by Ondo at N1,065.20. The lowest fare was in Adamawa (N455.33) and Abia (N455.35).
Motorcycle Transportation
For motorcycle (Okada) transportation, the average fare rose by 8.46%, from N483.33 in July to N524.22 in August. However, this fare was 18.87% lower than the N646.12 recorded in August 2023.
Lagos state had the highest motorcycle fare at N909.20, followed by Ondo with N761.39. Bayelsa had the lowest motorcycle fares at N312.10, followed by Anambra with N317.05.
Waterway Transportation
Water transport fares also increased in August 2024. The average fare for waterway transportation rose by 3.30%, from N1,406.74 in July to N1,449.34 in August 2024. Year-on-year, this represented a 3.03% increase.
Bayelsa had the highest waterway fares at N4,563.98, followed by Delta with N4,261.55. Borno recorded the lowest fare at N475.89, with Gombe slightly higher at N619.19.
Regionally, the south-south zone had the highest water transport fares at N3,602.92, followed by the south-west at N1,414.91. The north-east zone had the lowest fares, averaging N825.03.
These figures from the NBS give a clear picture of how transport costs have evolved across different modes in Nigeria, with air travel seeing the sharpest rise in prices.
