Nigeria Content Online

As the yuletide
holidays come to an end, hundreds of outbound and inbound passengers
were on Tuesday seen at the both domestic terminals of the Murtala
Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

With some of the
travellers purchasing air tickets for their respective destinations,
others at the arrival terminals were being received by their loved ones
as they prepare for their regular work activities.

“It is no surprise
to see this crowd here because the Christmas holidays end today and
from tomorrow, work begins for most people; so one has to leave for
work after spending time with family members during the holidays,” said
Onoriode Victor, an Abuja bound passenger with Aero Contractors at the
Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2).

Three days prior to
Tuesday, flight activities at the domestic airports were on the low as
only a handful of travelers visited the terminals to embark on flights.

Mr Victor, however,
frowned at the increase in fares across major destinations within the
country, describing the development as “inadequate.” “I paid N4,000
extra for this trip to Abuja; but before now, I know you can book
online for tickets four times lesser than the amount I paid today,” he
said. “This to me is unfair and inadequate. They (airlines) should not
use this period to exploit travelers knowing that a lot of people fly
these days because of our bad roads.” To Chike Nelson, another
traveller with Arik Air at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), the
increase in fare is no surprise, as he maintained that the season
requires “multiple expenses.” “The increase in air fares is something
we encounter every year, and this is not only with airline operators;
other service providers and even those that sells food items inflate
their prices this period. In fact this season comes with multiple
expenses,” he said.

Admitting that the
high passenger turnout at the airports necessitated the increased
fares, a ticketing and reservation officer with Aero at MMA2 who spoke
on conditions of anonymity said that airlines have this period to make
up for some of their losses in the past.

“As you know airlines in Nigeria are faced with a lot of challenges
and we pay series of charges to many agencies in the industry, so a
little addition to the regular air ticket amount should not be seen as
an act of exploitation,” said the officer.