International Airlines Comply with NCAA’s Directive on Lower Ticket Prices

Major foreign airlines have heeded the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) directive to open their lower inventory tickets, which were previously blocked for months.

This move comes after complaints of high ticket fares for international trips, which had forced Nigerian travelers to pay more for international flights as only the higher inventory tickets were available.

The NCAA had expressed displeasure over the discriminatory practices against Nigerian travelers and subsequently convened a three-day meeting with foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.

The meeting included representatives from the NCAA, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), with a presentation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on behalf of the foreign airlines.

At the meeting, Mr. Horatius Egua, the director of Special Duties at the NCAA, chaired the event on behalf of the director-general of the Authority, Capt. Chris Najomo. Najomo charged all foreign airlines to reduce their ticket costs and unblock all lower inventory tickets to the Nigerian traveling public within two days.

The NCAA considered the fare charged in Nigeria as discriminatory compared to the regional flights of the same airlines.

Following the NCAA’s directive, most international airlines have now unblocked the lower inventory tickets.

These airlines include Lufthansa, KLM, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, Royal Air Mar, RwandAir, and Turkish Airlines.

This development is expected to bring relief to Nigerian travelers who have been paying higher fares for international flights due to the unavailability of lower inventory tickets.