Nigeria Airlines Price Manipulation Probe

The Nigeria — Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) released an interim report uncovering alleged price manipulation by some domestic airlines during the December 2025 festive season. The review, initiated in January following consumer complaints, found materially higher ticket prices in December despite stable operating costs like aviation fuel and foreign exchange rates. On some routes, the price difference for a single ticket reached N405,000. The Nigeria — Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission noted that these differences appear to reflect airlines' arbitrary pricing decisions and capacity allocation rather than regulatory charges. The report identified potential violations of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, including provisions against anti-competitive agreements and price-fixing. Tunji Bello, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Nigeria — Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, emphasized that this is an interim report and further analysis is ongoing. The Nigeria — Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission also plans to extend its probe to international airlines due to similar complaints. In response, Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson for Airline Operators of Nigeria, criticized the Nigeria — Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, stating it lacks the expertise to regulate airfares and that its actions harm domestic airlines.