The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has dismissed claims that domestic airfares are inflated due to multiple taxes, stating that airlines do not pay the alleged levies and attributing fare increases to normal market forces of demand and supply.
Michael Achimugu, director of public affairs and consumer protection, said in a statement on X on Sunday that repeated claims of excessive government taxes on domestic flights are unfounded. The statement came hours after Allen Onyema, Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, warned that a new wave of taxes and levies could push domestic ticket prices to ₦1 million and force major carriers out of business within months. Speaking on ARISE NEWS, Onyema said the industry is currently “choking” under multiple and overlapping charges, noting that out of a ₦350,000 ticket, the airline only retains about ₦81,000, with the remainder taken by government agencies and regulatory fees.
In response, Achimugu reshared a past interview, saying: “Any domestic carrier operating domestic flights that says they are paying 18 taxes is a liar. No domestic carrier pays 18 taxes for domestic flights. We understand the high airfares this period are down to market forces—demand and supply. Let us assume there are 18 taxes, where those taxes increased recently, so why is it different in December?”
He added that while the NCAA does not regulate airfares, all domestic airlines had been invited to clarify the matter and admitted to not paying the volume of taxes being claimed. Achimugu further stated, “I don’t understand this ₦350k and ₦81,000 narrative, but I know that, for the kind of support that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Festus Keyamo, aviation minister, and Chris Najomo, the NCAA DGCA, have given to domestic carriers, I see no reason why the government keeps being blamed via statements like this.”
