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By Chinelo Obogo
The debate over ticket pricing comes as new research reveals that Nigeria has the least affordable domestic air travel in the world when adjusted for local wages and purchasing power.
A research paper published in 2025 by the President of Aircraft Owners Association of Nigeria, Dr. Alex, with the title “Reassessing Nigerian Airfares: A Global Affordability Perspective,” evaluates the affordability of domestic air travel in Nigeria using 2025 National Bureau of Statistics data and compared it with 19 other countries.
The findings show that Nigeria ranks as the country with the least affordable market and the highest real cost burden on travelers. The findings challenge claims that Nigeria has the lowest airfares and call for policy reforms.
Nigeria’s 2025 average fare of ₦131,667 is based on NBS monthly data. The data is for comparative analysis only, and the methodology applied in the research was a cross-country comparison conducted using standard fare, average monthly wage, and PPP. The Real Cost of Flying Index is calculated as: Fare / (Wage × PPP). A higher index indicates lower affordability.
For standard short-haul domestic fares in US dollars, passengers in India pay $75.00, Vietnam $65.00, Malaysia $55.00, Thailand $65.00, Philippines $75.00, Indonesia $80.00, Brazil $100.00, Mexico $90.00, United States $150.00, Canada $185.00, Australia $170.00, Japan $150.00, China $105.00, UK $130.00, Germany $130.00, UAE $105.00, South Africa $120.00, Kenya $105.00, Ethiopia $95.00, Nigeria $131.67.
The average monthly wages for each of the countries are: India $250.00, Vietnam $400.00, Malaysia $1,200.00, Thailand $700.00, Philippines $350.00, Indonesia $300.00, Brazil $900.00, Mexico $700.00, United States $6,900.00, Canada $4,200.00, Australia $4,800.00, Japan $3,200.00, China $1,200.00, UK $4,000.00, Germany $4,500.00, UAE $3,500.00, South Africa $1,100.00, Kenya $250.00, Ethiopia $100.00, and Nigeria $175.00.
The data shows that Nigeria’s average fare of ₦131,667 is higher than that of many countries when adjusted for income and PPP. Low wages and weak PPP result in the highest Real Cost of Flying Index. Nigeria ranks 20th out of 20, making it the least affordable market. Even Ethiopia, with lower wages, has better affordability.
