The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has dismissed claims that domestic airfares are inflated due to multiple taxes, insisting that airlines do not pay the alleged levies and attributing fare increases to normal market forces of demand and supply.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu, in a statement on X on Sunday, stated that repeated allegations of excessive taxes by the government on domestic flights are unfounded.
Resharing a past interview, Achimugu said: “Any domestic carrier operating domestic flights that says that they are paying 18 taxes is a liar. No domestic carrier pays 18 taxes for domestic flights.
“We understand the high air fares 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, it had invited all domestic airlines to clarify the matter.
“They all admitted to not paying the volume of taxes being bandied around. I don’t understand this 350k and 81k narrative, but I know that, for the kind of support that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo; and the DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo have given to domestic carriers, I see no reason why the government keeps getting thrown under the bus via statements like this.”
The clarification follows comments by Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema, who told ARISE News that many return flights on South-East routes operate nearly empty, yet airlines bear the full cost of both legs.
Punch
