FCCPC uncovers price manipulation by some local Nigerian airlines

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says it has uncovered _“patterns of price manipulation perpetrated by some local airlines during the last festive season.” _

According to Ondaje Ijagwu, Director of Corporate Affairs, the findings are based on the interim report released today (Thursday) by the Commission’s Department of Surveillance and Investigations.

The forensic exercise was said to have benefited from data collated by the Commission from airlines operating local routes in the country.

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What the Commission Is Saying

The report compared domestic airline pricing during the December 2025 festive period with post-peak January 2026 fare levels.

• _“Preliminary analysis indicates that fares recorded during the December peak were materially higher than those observed in the post-peak period across several routes, despite relative stability in critical operating variables like fuel prices, government taxes, and foreign exchange. _
• “The differences observed in fares therefore appear to reflect airlines’ arbitrary pricing decisions, including yield management and capacity allocation, rather than any variation in regulatory fees,” the statement partly reads.

The official stressed that route-level analysis shows that higher fares coincided with periods of reduced seat availability during predictable seasonal demand peaks.

• _“On some high-density routes, peak fares were clustered within relatively narrow ranges across several operators. _
• “For instance, on certain corridors like Abuja–Port Harcourt, peak fares were several times higher than corresponding post-peak levels. On selected routes, the difference in the price of a single ticket reached approximately ₦405,000. Median fares across the sampled routes also rose markedly during the festive window when compared with post-peak benchmarks,” the statement partly reads.

The official added, however, that the interim report recognises that seasonal demand pressures, scheduling constraints, and fleet utilisation may also affect pricing during peak travel periods.

• _“These factors remain under consideration as part of the Commission’s ongoing review,” _the Commission stated.

Commenting on the release of the interim report, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, said:

• _“This assessment is intended to provide clarity on pricing behaviour during predictable peak travel periods. The Commission’s role is not to disrupt legitimate commercial activity, but to ensure that market outcomes remain consistent with competition and consumer protection principles under the law.” _

He stressed that the Commission’s next action will be dictated by the full facts established at the end of the review exercise.

• “Then, the Commission will decide whether any regulatory guidance, engagement, or enforcement steps are necessary, strictly in accordance with the law,” he said.
• The report, according to the Commission, _“identifies the possible relevance of Sections 59, 72, 107, 108, 124 and 127 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which respectively address the prohibition of agreements in restraint of competition, the prohibition of abuse of a dominant position, the offence of price-fixing, conspiracy to commit offences under the Act, the right to fair dealings, and the prohibition of unfair, unreasonable, or unjust contract terms.” _

Mr. Bello warned that foreign airlines will come under the FCCPC’s radar after the ongoing review of local airlines, following what he described as widespread complaints of exploitative fares allegedly charged to Nigerians on certain routes compared to fares in neighbouring countries of equal distance.

Backstory

Recall that the FCCPC had, in December 2025, opened an investigation into recent airfare hikes on select domestic routes in Nigeria’s South-South and South-East regions.

The move followed growing public complaints over sharp price increases as the festive travel season began.

The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by Ondaje Ijagwu, FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, who said the probe focuses on pricing templates used by some airlines on the affected routes to determine whether they breach consumer protection or competition laws.

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