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By Chinelo Obogo
International passenger traffic in and out of Nigeria rose from 3,752,746 to 4,070,833, between the year 2022 and 2023, showing an 8.4 per cent increase, while from 2023 to 2024, it climbed to 4,334,665, showing a 6.4 percent increase, according to data released by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The report showed that since 2022, international travel has grown by 15.5 per cent, adding over 580,000 annual passengers. However, the figures are different for domestic travel with local passenger movements falling to their lowest level in three years.
In 2024, total domestic movements dropped to 12.54 million, down from 14.52 million in 2022. For year 2022 to 2023, domestic traffic fell from 14,519,565 to 13,409,701, representing a 7.6 percent decrease. For year 2023 to 2024, traffic fell further to 12,543,153, a 6.4 percent decrease. Total 3-Year Impact show that since 2022, the domestic aviation market has shrunk by 13.6 percent, losing nearly 2 million passengers.
The slump in domestic travel comes as a new report published by the Daily Sun 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 N131,667 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.
