December Flight Prices Surge in Nigeria: How to Save on Christmas Travel Despite High Rates
Nigerian domestic flight prices are nearly tripling during the peak December festive season, with Flightpadi offering five specific strategies to help travelers save money on high-demand routes.
Newsnibs Staff
- 2026-10-12
- Updated 12:15 PM UTC
Nigerian travellers booking domestic flights for the Christmas and New Year season are facing fare increases of up to nearly three times normal prices, according to an analysis by the flight booking platform Flightpadi. The company examined more than 3,500 real customer searches made between September 1 and October 9, finding that peak travel dates — December 15 through January 4 — carry significantly higher fares than the weeks around them.
The steepest jumps are on routes connecting Lagos and Abuja to cities in the South-East and South-South. A one-way economy ticket from Abuja to Owerri rises from ₦104,000 in normal weeks to ₦342,500 during the peak period. Abuja to Enugu climbs from ₦105,500 to ₦325,000, and Lagos to Port Harcourt goes from ₦117,000 to ₦342,500. Flightpadi also flagged sharp increases on Lagos to Asaba, Benin to Abuja, and Lagos to Owerri.
Other routes moved by smaller margins. Enugu to Lagos rose from ₦121,000 to ₦151,000, and Port Harcourt to Abuja went from ₦117,000 to ₦139,000.
The pattern echoes last year's festive season, when fares on some South-East routes spiked further still. Lagos to Enugu tickets reportedly reached ₦600,000 at the peak of the 2025 rush, and one family of five travelling to the South-East was charged a combined ₦3.1 million.
Fares vary by date within the peak window itself. A Lagos to Abuja ticket booked for December 17 runs ₦135,000, while Asaba to Lagos on December 16 costs ₦139,000 and Enugu to Lagos on December 22 costs ₦121,000. Flightpadi also found a ₦66,500 difference between airlines on the same route on the same day.
Flightpadi recommends five ways to hold down costs: travel before December 14 rather than during the peak window, compare prices across different dates before settling on one, consider returning after January 4 rather than during the rush back, check fares across multiple airlines rather than booking the first one shown, and book early rather than waiting closer to the travel date.
The platform lets users compare fares and pay in naira, and offers customer support through WhatsApp, including an AI assistant called Ava, alongside a rewards programme called PadiMiles.
Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash
