Sallah Rush: Domestic Airlines See Passenger Surge as Fares Top N200,000 on Major Routes

Domestic airlines are recording a surge in passengers across northern destinations as travellers rush to reconnect with families for the Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) celebrations. The holiday-induced traffic spike comes at a time when the aviation sector is operating near its capacity threshold, following an upward adjustment of base airfares across major networks.

Destinations with the highest passenger influx include Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Sokoto, and Yola. A visit by BusinessDay to the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) revealed heavily congested check-in queues and packed terminal halls filled with holiday travellers. Aero Contractors recorded the longest queues, especially for flights to Port Harcourt and northern destinations. Rano Air operated above 85 percent capacity on routes to Kano and Kaduna.

Air Peace, Ibom Air, and United Nigeria Airlines have increased one-way economy fares above N200,000 on major domestic routes due to rising aviation fuel prices. Jet A1 fuel prices hover between N1,900 and N2,000 per litre. Examples include: Lagos–Owerri fares rising to about N202,000 to N208,000. Lagos–Port Harcourt fares increased to around N201,900 to N208,300. Lagos–Abuja fares reached approximately N201,900 to N208,145. Lagos–Kano fares climbed to about N201,918 on some airlines.

Several passengers interviewed said they preferred expensive flights over travelling by road because of insecurity and kidnappings on Nigerian highways. Aero Contractors CEO Ado Sanusi stated the airline introduced promotional fares during the festive season to help travellers reconnect with families. Former Nigerian College of Aviation Technology rector Samuel Caulcrick noted that inflation and insecurity are reshaping travel patterns, with many Nigerians abandoning road travel despite soaring airfares. One passenger, Abdulrasheed Mohammed, said: “I’ll rather buy the ticket for this amount than go by road.”