Air fares fall as new local operators board

The domestic scene of the nation’s air transport sector is witnessing a boom, as more airlines join the sector, bringing down fares.

With increased seat capacity, new entrants such as Azman Air, Discovery Air and Air Peace, have crashed the fares to as low as N9,000 (one way) on the popular routes from Lagos to Abuja, Kano, Portharcourt, Enugu, Calabar among others, as travellers throng their counters.

Already, with the coming of Air Peace with seven (Boeing) B-737 aircraft, Azman Air with three B-737; Discovery Air with three B-737 and FirstNation also with three B-737 , capacity in the domestic scene has increased, as travellers also have

more choice among ten airlines, as against the previous four as at three months ago.

Before now, the sector could only boast of about 45 aircraft with Arik having 26, Medview five, Dana four and  Aero ten. However, with  the addition of 16 aircraft, analysts say the sector is looking up, with more competitive fares.

Also, a visit to the domestic airport in Lagos reveals that across –the-counter fares which previously stood at between N25,000 and N35,000 now go for between N20,000 and N30,000 with established airlines depending on the destination and time of travel, while the relatively new ones are wooing passengers with price slashes.

Dana Air has a bold banner on the top of the wall of the domestic Terminal-2, popularly known as MMA2 asking passengers to take its flights for as low as N10,000 when they book online.

Discovery Air says ‘Everywhere in Nigeria from N8,000’.

Meanwhile travellers are basking in the fare slash, saying it is already breaking what they think would be a monopoly, especially during the Yuletide season.

“This is good for the sector, we can now come to the airport and select from the airlines, whether online or across the counter, at least there are choices for Nigerians”, Tunde Adewale, a passenger, observed.

Another traveller who flew on one of the new ones, Air Peace, described the situation as ‘good times’ adding that the old airlines have no option but to also begin to lower their fares.

“You know they are now competing with one another and that is why competition is good for the system. Customers will have the power to choose and dictate the tune because they will be competition for us”, he said.

However, observers are cautioning the airlines to also brace up for the challenges of maintenance, as safety is key to the system.

They are of the opinion that when airlines operate at a loss or offer too low fares to attract customers, even when fuel prices and maintenance fees are still high, “there is the tendency for some aspects of the airlines’ operations to be affected.

“As much as the sector needs more airlines and needs to put in place, measures to attract more people to travel, there is also the need for them to consider other factors such as high maintenance fees, aviation fuel prices and others.

“They should not operate at a loss in the name of attracting passengers and at the risk of compromising safety, which is very important”, Ebenezer Adewole, a travel analyst said.

Abdulahi Mohammed said, “there is need for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to monitor the trends as both travellers and airlines are needed for the sector to boom as expected.

“Although it is a deregulated market, the NCAA should ensure that safety precautions are still adhered to in the face of an anticipated growth”, he said.

Businessday