Following the federal government’s declaration of June 28 as a public holiday for Muslim faithful to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, domestic airlines plying northern routes have recorded a spike in ticket sales with passengers paying as high as N200, 000 for economy seats to some northern states, Daily Sun.
This development comes after airlines experienced a slump in air traffic in the first quarter of 2023 after the 2022 Christmas festive period boost. An insider at Arik Air confirmed that before the Sallah holiday which falls on Wednesday, July 28, many of their passengers booked two weeks ahead of time due to the cost of flight tickets.
“We experienced a spike in sales about two weeks ago which is due to the fact that many of our passengers were booking ahead of time to get the ticket at below N100, 000 for economy. One of our most lucrative routes is the Abuja to Sokoto route and on a good day, we averagely do 70 percent load factor but as I speak to you, the rush has been massive and we are now doing 100 percent load factor back to back.
“We were shocked at the rush for flights from Abuja to states like Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kano and Yola. In fact, after our flights got filled up, people were still begging to get a ticket, so what we did was to give their seats to those who didn’t show up and such tickets sold for as much as N200,000,” the insider said.
The source said the airline experienced up to 50 percent spike in over-the-counter sales of tickets, making this bumper sales one of the best the airline has had since it was taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
“From the first quarter of the year, sales had really been down, but as we were entering the second year, it started picking up. Our sales during this Sallah break were really impressive. We had about 50 percent increase of over-the-counter ticket sales and we have not had such sales since Arik went into receivership with AMCON. Most of the tickets were sold at between N115, 000 and N150, 000, depending on where you are flying to. Like I said, we even sold for up to N200, 000 for economy, that is for those who booked to fly on the same day. So, sales have really been good. However, the major challenge that we are facing now is the cost of diesel which is over N800 per litre and lack of forex which is really eating deep into our operating costs,” the source said.
A look through the websites of most of the airlines where passengers can book online shows that many of the economy seats for July 25, 26, 27 and 28 are sold out for flights from Lagos to Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Abuja and back. (Sun)