International Airlines Heed NCAA’s Directive On Cheaper Tickets

Following complaints of high ticket fares for international trips, the major foreign airlines have heeded the directive of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on opening their lower inventory tickets that were hitherto blocked for months.

Recall that Nigerians were made to pay higher fares on international flights as only the higher inventory tickets were opened in Nigeria while the lower inventory tickets were blocked for some months now.

The NCAA had expressed displeasure over the discriminatory practices against Nigerian travellers and consequently convened a three-day meeting with foreign airlines operating in Nigeria.

The meeting had in attendance representatives from the NCAA, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), with a presentation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on behalf of the foreign airlines.

At the meeting, chaired by Mr. Horatius Egua, the director of Special Duties, NCAA, on behalf of the director-general of the Authority, Capt. Chris Najomo, he charged all the foreign airlines to reduce their ticket cost and unblock all lower inventory tickets to the Nigerian travelling public in two days.

The NCAA considered the fare charged in Nigeria as discriminatory compared to the regional flights of the same airlines.

Following the NCAA’s directive, the majority of international airlines have unblocked the lower inventory tickets.

The following airlines have unblocked their lower inventory tickets; Lufthansa, KLM, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, Royal Air Mar, RwandAir, and Turkish Airlines.