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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has found that some local airlines raised ticket prices unusually during the 2025 Christmas travel period.
The Commission compared domestic airfares in December 2025 with those in January 2026 in an interim report published on Thursday.
The report shows that “fares recorded during the December peak 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.”
The analysis shows that higher fares often happened when fewer seats were available on busy routes.
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 ₦405,000. Median fares across the sampled routes also rose markedly during the festive window when compared with post-peak benchmarks.
The FCCPC noted that while seasonal demand and aircraft usage can affect prices, “ the differences observed in fares therefore appear to reflect airlines’ arbitrary pricing decisions, including yield management and capacity allocation, rather than any variation in regulatory fees.”
Tunji Bello, FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman, said the review is meant to ensure “market outcomes remain consistent with competition and consumer protection principles under the law.”
He added that the Commission is conducting further structural and route-level analysis before reaching any conclusions.
“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 report identifies the possible relevance of Sections 59, 72, 107, 108, 124 and 127 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which respectively address the prohibition of agreements in restraint of competition, the prohibition of abuse of a dominant position, the offence of price-fixing, conspiracy to commit offences under the Act, the right to fair dealings, and the prohibition of unfair, unreasonable or unjust contract terms.
Bello said that foreign airlines will also be reviewed next, following complaints that they allegedly charge Nigerians on certain routes more than fares in neighbouring countries of equal distance.
