Nigeria’s five airlines face refund orders over price fixing during the December 2025 festive season.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC)uncovered patterns of price manipulation by domestic airlines during the last festive season.
This is based on an interim report released by its Surveillance and Investigations Department.
Nigeria airlines price fixing refund obligations could affect thousands of passengers who flew during Christmas and New Year 2025.
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What the FCCPC Found
FCCPC investigations compared domestic airline pricing from the December 2025 festive period with post-peak January 2026 fare levels.
FCCPC Executive Vice Chairman Tunji Bello said:
“Route-level analysis showed that higher fares coincided with reduced seat availability during predictable seasonal demand peaks.”
Preliminary findings showed that fares during the festive peak were materially higher than post-peak fares across several routes, despite relative stability in aviation fuel prices, government taxes and foreign exchange rates.
Additionally, route-level analysis revealed that fare increases coincided with reduced seat availability during predictable high-demand periods.
On some busy routes, peak fares fell within similar price bands across multiple operators, a key indicator of coordinated pricing behaviour.
Moreover, on routes such as Abuja to Port Harcourt, ticket prices during the festive rush were several times higher than post-peak rates.
In some instances, the gap between peak and off-peak fares reached approximately ₦405,000 for a single.
Reaction
The Airline Operators of Nigeria lambasted the FCCPC over its interim report, describing the price fixing allegations as harmful to the industry.
Additionally, airlines have consistently argued that high fares reflect genuine cost pressures.
Nigerian airlines pay twice the insurance cost compared to their peers and operate under serious infrastructural limitations.
On the Lagos–Accra route alone, an airline pays taxes worth $185 before setting a single ticket price.
The FCCPC confirmed it would publish a final report detailing findings and possible sanctions against the five or six implicated airlines.
Also foreign airlines operating in Nigeria will come under FCCPC radar after the ongoing review of domestic carriers is concluded, following widespread complaints of exploitative fares charged to Nigerians on international routes compared to fares in neighbouring countries of equal distance.
Passengers affected by the Nigeria airlines price fixing refund process should retain all December 2025 ticket receipts as documentation ahead of the final ruling.
