The Senate has called on Minister of Aviation Festus Keyamo and major stakeholders in the aviation sector for an urgent meeting after widespread public concern over the sudden and significant rise in domestic flight fares.
The decision followed a motion raised by Buhari Abdulfatai, who cautioned that the escalating ticket prices threaten national mobility and could result in severe travel disruptions in the coming days.
During the deliberation, Senator Buhari highlighted growing public frustration as domestic airfares continue to climb sharply. He pointed out that a one-way ticket from Abuja to Lagos now ranges between N400,000 and N600,000—far beyond the reach of many Nigerians.
The senator from Oyo State stressed that the situation is even more troubling given the worsening difficulties and insecurity along major road networks.
He urged that “we need to invite stakeholders of our airline agencies to interact and interrogate the issues. Immediate steps must be taken before the festive period.”
Other senators voiced similar worries.
Senator Adamu Aliero condemned the fare escalation as unacceptable, while Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi decried what he described as an unprecedented 400 percent increase. Nwebonyi also questioned the prolonged delay in establishing a national carrier and called on Keyamo to address the matter urgently.
Adding to the debate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan noted that airline operators have been granted multiple concessions, especially on spare parts, and therefore should be held responsible for the rising ticket costs.
However, Senator Orji Kalu attempted to defend the operators, citing rising operational expenses and the increasing price of spare parts—a justification that drew strong objections from many lawmakers.
The Senate concluded that Keyamo, airline operators, regulators, and other sector players should appear before its relevant committees this week to explain the reasons behind the soaring fares and help establish swift measures to stabilize prices ahead of the holiday period.