Flying Out of Nigeria? Please Pay for the Sky Too!
By Jerry Adesewo
There is an old saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In Nigeria, that same journey begins with a single shock.
You open an airline booking site searching for a flight from Abuja to Milan. Ethiopian Airlines smiles at you with what appears to be the deal of the year.
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Base fare: ₦156,000. You blink twice. You refresh the page. You thank your ancestors. Finally, you think, aviation has remembered the common man.
Then you click “Continue.”
That is where Nigerian aviation introduces you to your extended family.
– Airport Development Levy.
– Passenger Service Charge.
– Security Charge.
– Fuel Surcharge.
– Carrier-Imposed Surcharge.
– Processing Fee.
– International Charge.
– Administrative Fee.
Some charges even have charges By the time you reach the payment page, your modest ₦156,000 airfare has undergone a miraculous resurrection into almost ₦1 million. You are no longer buying a ticket. You are sponsoring an ecosystem.
The Fare Is Actually Innocent
The funniest character in the whole story is the airfare itself. Poor thing. It quietly sits there at ₦156,000. Small. Modest. Respectable.
Then the taxes arrive like uninvited relatives at a Nigerian wedding. One after another. Each carrying an invoice.
Soon, the airfare itself becomes the poorest item on the ticket. Imagine buying a loaf of bread for ₦500 only to discover the nylon costs ₦4,000. Only in Nigeria can the wrapper become more expensive than the gift. Well, I learnt the story is similar elsewhere too, but they are all learning from almighty Naija.
Then Allen Onyema Spoilt the Joke
Just when many Nigerians were sharpening their anger against airlines, Barrister Allen Onyema appeared on Arise Television and complicated the narrative.
According to Onyema, the airlines are hardly smiling. They are borrowing billions simply to keep flying. Jet A1 fuel prices have surged, bank lending rates remain painfully high, and airlines are weighed down by multiple taxes and charges. He warned that unless these burdens are reviewed, more airlines could struggle to survive. He has even called on President Tinubu to establish a committee to review aviation taxes and charges.
Suddenly, the comedy became uncomfortable. Meaning the airline wasn’t the chief suspect after all. Perhaps it was merely the cashier.
Everybody Wants a Piece of Your Boarding Pass
According to Onyema, airlines have gradually become collection agents for numerous government-imposed charges. Among those he specifically highlighted is the statutory 5% Ticket Sales Charge collected by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, which he argues further squeezes operators already struggling with razor-thin margins.
One begins to imagine the conversation.
Government Agency Number One: “We also need something.”
Agency Number Two: “Us too.”
Agency Number Three: “Don’t leave us out.”
Agency Number Four: “We’ll collect ours before take-off.”
By the time everyone finishes collecting, the passenger is wondering whether he accidentally bought shares in Nigerian aviation.
The Airline Is Flying. Everybody Else Is Also Flying
Obviously, we have been blaming the wrong people. Maybe AirPeace, Ethiopian Airlines and the others are simply piloting the aircraft. The real passengers are invisible. They never board. They never check in. They never fasten seat belts. But every ticket issued carries their signatures.
One collects because you bought the ticket. Another because you entered the airport. And yet another because you may use the runway. And another because somebody once built the runway.
And of course, yet another because… well… government.
The aircraft hasn’t even started its engines, yet your wallet has already experienced turbulence.
Airport Economics, Nigerian Style
Imagine entering a restaurant. Rice costs ₦2,000. Excellent. At the cashier, however, reality begins.
-Chair Usage Levy.
-Plate Preservation Fee.
-Spoon Maintenance Charge.
-Kitchen Infrastructure Contribution.
-Rice Observation Surcharge.
-Air Conditioning Development Fund.
-Smile Processing Fee.
Suddenly your ₦2,000 lunch costs ₦18,000. The waiter smiles. The cook apologises. Government congratulates itself.
Welcome to Nigerian aviation.
The Most Expensive Permission to Leave Home
Government insists these taxes are necessary. Safety costs money. Airport infrastructure costs money. Regulation costs money.
Nobody disputes that. The question passengers quietly ask is this: How many taxes become too many taxes?
When the taxes begin to outweigh the transportation itself, something has gone fundamentally wrong. It is like paying more for the wedding invitation than for the wedding.
The Departure Ceremony
Nigerian airports should simply become honest. Instead of announcing:
“Passengers travelling to Addis Ababa should proceed to Gate Four…”
They should announce:
“Congratulations! You have successfully sponsored Nigerian aviation. Your flight comes free with your taxes.”
At least expectations would be properly managed.
Final Boarding Call
Nigeria dreams of becoming Africa’s aviation hub. Airlines are expanding.
New routes are opening. Investors are being invited. Passengers are encouraged to travel. Or perhaps they must because the roads aren’t safe.
Then, just before boarding, they are politely reminded that almost everybody in the aviation value chain would like a financial relationship with their ticket.
Perhaps one day airlines will stop displaying Ticket Price altogether.
Instead, the booking page will simply read:
Flight: ₦156,000
Government’s Share of Your Holiday: ₦844,000
Your Seat: Complimentary.
Because in today’s Nigeria, you don’t merely buy an airline ticket.
You sponsor regulators.
You sponsor agencies.
You sponsor surcharges.
You sponsor levies.And somewhere in the middle of all that generosity…
They graciously allow you to fly.