FCCPC Uncovers Festive Airfare Price Manipulation
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has uncovered what it described as patterns of price manipulation by some local airlines during the December 2025 festive season, raising fresh concerns about the cost of air travel in Nigeria.
The findings are contained in an interim report released on Thursday by the Commission’s Department of Surveillance and Investigations. The report followed an industry-wide investigation announced by the FCCPC in January after many Nigerians complained about the sharp rise in airfares during the Christmas and New Year period.
According to the Commission, the review was based on detailed data collected from airlines operating domestic routes across the country. The forensic exercise compared ticket prices during the December 2025 peak travel season with fares charged in January 2026, when demand had dropped after the holidays.
The preliminary results show that fares recorded during the December rush were far higher than those seen in January across several routes. This happened even though key cost factors such as aviation fuel prices, government taxes and foreign exchange rates remained relatively stable during the period under review.
The report stated that the wide gap in fares “appears to reflect airlines’ arbitrary pricing decisions, including yield management and capacity allocation, rather than any variation in regulatory fees.”
In simple terms, the Commission’s early findings suggest that the price increases were not mainly driven by changes in official charges or fuel costs, but by decisions taken by the airlines on how to manage ticket sales and available seats during the busy season.
A closer look at individual routes showed that higher fares often occurred at the same time as reduced seat availability during predictable periods of heavy demand. On some busy routes, peak fares were found to be grouped within similar price ranges across different airlines.
For example, on routes such as Abuja to Port Harcourt, peak fares were several times higher than what passengers paid after the festive season. On some selected routes, the difference in the cost of a single ticket reached about ₦405,000 between the December peak and the January post-peak period. The report also found that median fares across the sampled routes rose sharply during the festive window when compared to post-peak levels.
Despite these findings, the Commission said it is still considering other factors that may influence pricing during high travel seasons. It noted that seasonal demand pressure, flight scheduling limits and the way airlines deploy their aircraft could also affect fares when many people are trying to travel at the same time.
These issues, the FCCPC said, remain part of its ongoing review and no final conclusions have been reached.
Speaking on the interim report, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the review forms part of the Commission’s legal duty 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 made it clear that the document released is not the final word on the matter. According to him, the Commission is carrying out further structural and route-level analysis before taking any action.
“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,” he said.
The interim report also pointed to sections of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 that may become relevant depending on the outcome of the investigation. These include provisions dealing with agreements that restrict competition, abuse of a dominant position, price-fixing, conspiracy to commit offences under the Act, the right of consumers to fair dealings and the ban on unfair or unjust contract terms.
By referencing these sections, the Commission signalled that if evidence eventually shows that airlines engaged in practices that break competition rules, it has the legal backing to take regulatory or enforcement action.
The development comes at a time when many Nigerians have expressed frustration over the high cost of domestic flights, especially during festive periods when families travel for holidays, weddings and other events. Air travel has increasingly become a necessity for business people and public officials who need to move quickly between cities such as Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano.
In a related move, Bello announced that foreign airlines will also come under the Commission’s attention after the ongoing review of local operators. According to a statement issued by the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, the decision follows widespread complaints that some foreign airlines charge Nigerians higher fares on certain routes compared to what passengers pay in neighbouring countries for trips of similar distance.
The Commission said it will examine these claims as part of its broader effort to ensure that Nigerian consumers are not subjected to unfair pricing practices, whether by domestic or international carriers.
For now, the FCCPC has urged patience as it completes its review. The final outcome of the investigation could shape how airlines price tickets during future festive seasons and may also influence regulatory guidance in the aviation sector.
As Nigerians await the Commission’s final report, the debate over airline pricing, consumer rights and fair competition is likely to remain in focus, especially during peak travel periods when demand is high and ticket prices tend to rise sharply.
