International airlines have opened cheaper ticket inventories for travellers from Nigeria following NCCA’s interventions.
The development follows the crashing of airfares on the London route by Air Peace, which recently began at Gatwick AirportThe foreign airlines that have opened their lower ticket inventory include KLM, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, and British Airways, among others
Nigerians have been made to pay higher fares for international trips than other African countries because only higher inventory tickets were open in Nigeria, while cheaper inventories were blocked.
The regulatory authority, NCAA, had expressed displeasure over foreign airlines’ discriminatory practices against Nigerian travellers and set up a three-day meeting with airlines operating the Nigerian route.
Among those in the meeting were representatives of the NCAA, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the National Association of Travel Agencies (NANTA), with a representation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on behalf of the foreign airlines.
Horatius Egua, who chaired the meeting, charged all foreign airlines to cut down their ticket costs and unlock lower inventory tickets to Nigerians and those travelling abroad from the country.
Airlines that have blocked cheap tickets
The authority considered fares charged in Africa’s largest economy discriminatory compared to regional flight tickets by the same airlines.
Following the meeting, many foreign airlines opened their lower inventory tickets for Nigerian travellers.
The airlines have unblocked their lower inventory tickets: Lufthansa, KLM, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, Royal Air Mar, RwandAir, and Turkish Airlines.
Peoplesmind
