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…Your actions detrimental to airlines’ survival, AON fires back
By Chinelo Obogo and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has indicted domestic airlines for alleged price manipulation during the December 2025 festive season even as it revealed that foreign carriers operating in Nigeria will soon come under investigation for fare exploitation.
In an interim report released yesterday, the Commission said it uncovered credible evidence that some local airlines engaged in arbitrary pricing practices that pushed ticket costs far beyond what prevailing operating conditions could justify.
Ondaje Ijagwu, Director of Corporate Affairs at the FCCPC, confirmed that the findings followed an extensive forensic review conducted by the Commission’s Surveillance and Investigations Department.
“A recent review undertaken by the FCCPC uncovered patterns of price manipulation perpetrated by some local airlines during the last festive season. As a fallout, the Commission announced an industry-wide investigation earlier in January. The findings are contained in the interim report released on Thursday,” he said.
According to him, the exercise relied on fare data directly collated from airlines operating domestic routes and compared ticket prices during the December 2025 peak travel window with post-holiday fares in January 2026.
“Preliminary analysis indicated that fares recorded during the December peak period were materially higher than those observed in the post-peak period across several routes despite relative stability in critical operating variables like fuel price, government taxes and foreign exchange,” Ijagwu stated.
He added that the fare differences “appear to reflect airlines’ arbitrary pricing decisions, including yield management and capacity allocation, rather than any variation in regulatory fees.”
Responding to FCCPC’s report, the spokesperson of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said the Commission does not have the professional expertise to dabble into airline operations, adding that their actions are highly detrimental to the survival of domestic operators.
“I have not read the details of the report but what the FCCPC is doing is very detrimental to the survival of domestic operators. They don’t know the economics of airlines and do not possess the professional expertise to dabble into how prices are fixed. They don’t understand airline operations and as far as the AON is concerned, they are playing to the gallery and should not be taken seriously. We have immense respect for all government agencies but we would not accept any statement not based on realities or facts,” Okonkwo said.
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According to FCCPC, route-level analysis showed that higher fares coincided with reduced seat availability during predictable seasonal peaks. On high-density routes, peak fares were clustered within narrow ranges across multiple operators, raising red flags.
“For instance, on certain corridors like Abuja-Port Harcourt, peak fares were several times higher than corresponding post-peak levels. On selected routes, the difference in the price of a single ticket reached approximately N405,000. Median fares across the sampled routes also rose remarkably during the festive window when compared with post-peak benchmarks,” he said.
The Commission acknowledged that seasonal demand surges, scheduling constraints and fleet utilisation can influence pricing. However, it stressed that the scale and pattern of increases observed go beyond what such factors would reasonably explain.
The interim report flagged possible violations of Sections 59, 72, 107, 108, 124 and 127 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018, covering restraint of competition, abuse of dominant position, price-fixing, conspiracy, unfair contract terms and consumers’ right to fair dealings.
Reacting to the findings, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the review was part of the Commission’s statutory mandate to promote competition and protect consumers.
“This assessment is intended to provide clarity on pricing behaviour during predictable peak travel periods. The Commission’s role is not to disrupt legitimate commercial activity, but to ensure that market outcomes remain consistent with competition and consumer protection principles under the law,” Bello said.
He cautioned that the document remains an interim report. “It is important to emphasise that this is an interim report. Our next action will be dictated by full facts established at the end of the review exercise. Then, the Commission will decide whether any regulatory guidance, engagement or enforcement steps are necessary, strictly in accordance with the law.”
Bello disclosed that further structural and route-level analysis is ongoing and hinted that sanctions could follow if violations are established.
Beyond domestic operators, the FCCPC boss announced that foreign airlines will soon face similar scrutiny. He cited widespread complaints that Nigerians are being charged significantly higher fares on certain international routes compared to passengers in neighbouring countries travelling similar distances.
The planned probe, he said, will determine whether exploitative pricing or anti-competitive conduct exists in the international segment of Nigeria’s aviation market.
The Commission signalled that no operator will be shielded if evidence confirms fare fixing or consumer exploitation.
