…Says They Are Driven By Market, Operational Factors
The President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA),Mr. Yinka Folami has stated that government taxes are not responsible for seasonal fare increases but rather they are driven by market and operational factors, such as demand patterns and load management.
Folami stated this during an interview on domestic fares on Mainland FM Radio.
Fielding questions on the issue,the NANTA boss emphasised the need to move away from speculation and towards clarity, particularly from a practitioner and consumer-facing perspective.
He clarified that NANTA’s position is informed by professional training and decades of experience in ticketing operations and airfare construction, adding that as the recognised downstream trade body, NANTA’s contributions are based on practice, not conjecture.
Making clarification on public attributions, the President took time to correct the misinformation surrounding the origins of the recent public debate, adding that the assertion which triggered the current conversation did not originate from the Chairman of Air Peace, Dr. Allen Onyema, noting that Onyema later responded to the issue but was not the source of the claim being debated.
He cautioned against personalising the issue, stressing that doing so would distract people from the real matter requiring examination.
Speaking further, Folami identified two core issues that the discussion is centred around, which according to him are distinctive but related.
The first issue is whether government taxes are responsible for seasonal fare increases.
Discussing the issue, the NANTA President stated clearly that government taxes are not responsible for seasonal fare hikes or do they change between June and December.
He pointed out that despite that fares rise significantly during peak seasons such as December.
To buttress his point, the NANTA President said, “For example, routes that cost between ₦145,000–₦155,000 mid-year for a one-way ticket often rise to ₦250,000–₦350,000 in December.
hese same fares (for one-way tickets), he noted typically drop again to ₦125,000–₦145,000 by January or February.
In view of this, he concluded that seasonal price increases are driven by market and operational factors, such as demand patterns and load management, rather than changes in government taxes.
On the second issue assertion that there are 18 taxes imposed on domestic tickets by the government, the President said that the claim is new to NANTA, despite the association’s 50 years of continuous industry experience.
Though he did not dismiss the claim outright, he, however emphasised that it is unfamiliar to the trade as practitioners.
He noted that because of the source and the significance, the issue deserves proper inquiry and deconstruction, rather than acceptance or rejection through speculation.
NANTA, Folami said supports calls for this assertion to be examined transparently by relevant authorities and also calls for deconstruction, not speculation
The President stressed that the objective of the engagement was to end speculation, not fuel it.
He encouraged stakeholders to:
• Deconstruct claims methodically.
• Examine ticket components based on professional standards.
• Avoid turning a technical issue into a personality-driven debate.
On practitioner insight on ticket construction and drawing from industry training and experience, the President outlined what practitioners typically observe when examining domestic tickets to include ‘
• NG – Government sales tax
• QT – Airport tax
• NUC – Basic airline fare (covering airline costs and margins) and
• YQ/YR – Surcharges often described as emergency or security-related
He noted that, in practice, YQ/YR components frequently account for a disproportionately large share of the ticket price, sometimes significantly exceeding both government taxes and the airline’s basic fare.
Giving illustrative example without naming airlines, the President, referenced a sample domestic ticket where:
• Total fare: ₦360,000
• Airport Tax: ₦9,000
• Government sales tax: ₦16,700
• Basic airline fare: ₦46,300
• YQ/YR surcharge: ₦288,000
He stated that such a structure raises legitimate questions about pricing arbitrariness and transparency, particularly given the original intent of YQ/YR charges as emergency-related measures.
Balancing local airline support and consumer responsibility, Folami, reiterated NANTA’s strong support for local airline operators and the importance of protecting domestic aviation.
He, however, emphasised that this support must be balanced with a responsibility to the Nigerian traveling public, ensuring fairness, clarity, and consumer confidence.
The President reaffirmed NANTA’s readiness to engage constructively with government, airlines, and the legislature to:
• Deconstruct contentious claims.
• Provide practitioner-led insight.
• Promote transparency in pricing.
• Support an aviation ecosystem that is both industry-sustainable and consumer-sensitive
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