The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has rejected claims by Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema that domestic airfares are rising due to multiple taxes imposed by the government.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said in a statement on Sunday that the allegations are unfounded, insisting airlines do not pay the levies being circulated.
“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,” he said, attributing the surge in ticket prices to market forces.
He also questioned the basis for the price jump. “Let us assume there are 18 taxes, where those taxes increased recently, so why is it different in December?”
Achimugu said domestic airlines had been invited for clarification and acknowledged they were not paying such taxes, adding that the NCAA does not regulate ticket pricing. He argued that high December fares were driven by seasonal demand and not government policy.
Onyema had claimed that “almost 65 to 70 per cent of that money is not coming to the airlines. They’re going somewhere else—levies, taxes, and other charges,” describing operators as the “sacrificial lamb” of the industry.
In response, Achimugu maintained there had been no recent increase in levies or fuel costs and concluded: “It is market forces. It is Nigerians on Nigerians. This is not government.”