Effective January 1, 2026, air ticket taxes across West Africa will be removed and air fares slashed by over 20 per cent.

This forms part of a sweeping regional policy to make air travel affordable and strengthen economic activities.

Director of Transport and Telecommunications, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Chris Appiah, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, said the decision was taken after a decade of studies confirmed that West Africa has the most expensive air transport services in Africa.

Appiah added that the high cost of regional flights is driven largely by government taxes and aviation charges.

“If you buy a typical ticket in West Africa from any of the airlines, you realise that about 64 to 70 per cent of the ticket price is as a result of taxes and charges,” he said.

According to him, Heads of State acknowledged the issue during their 2023 summit in Abuja and directed ministers of transport and finance to find a lasting solution.

“This led to the adoption of a supplementary act in December 2024, compelling member states to eliminate all air transport taxes and reduce aviation charges by 25 per cent starting January 2026.

“From January 1, 2026, Heads of State have agreed that all member states should remove taxes on air transport. These taxes are against the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s guidelines and suppress demand rather than support growth.”

Appiah added that the new policy is central to ECOWAS’ integration agenda, which relies heavily on connectivity and the free movement of people, goods, and services.

“ECOWAS stands for regional integration, and regional integration rides on connectivity. One of the main modes of connecting our member states is air transport,” he said.

Appiah noted that four major taxes were identified across the region, including the commonly charged “security tax,” which he said has no real link to aviation services.

“For the taxes, they are removing them in totality. What they do is suppress demand, and this is not conducive to supporting tourism, health, education, and other sectors.”

Appiah noted that reduced air fares will stimulate demand, boost trade, and ultimately grow government revenue.

For smooth compliance, he pledged the commission’s commitment to continuously engage airlines to ensure they reduce fares once the tax and charge reforms take effect.

“We are working with the airlines to make sure that when the taxes and charges are removed, they will also, in turn, reduce their ticket costs so that West African citizens can travel freely,” he said.

He added that other regions on the continent are outperforming West Africa in air travel growth because their charges are far lower.

“Our charges are sometimes 67 per cent higher than any other region on the continent. That is the reason airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, and Royal Air Maroc are doing very well while our region is suffering.”