The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said that the average fare paid by air travellers in Nigeria increased by as much as 34% in May 2023.

The NBS disclosed this in its Transport Fare Watch Report for the month in question which was released in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the report, Kebbi State recorded the highest air transport fare (for specified routes, single journeys) in May with N80,000.

This was followed by Bayelsa with N79,050 while Abia recorded the least with N69,800 as the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes for a single journey increased astronomically within a year.

The NBS said further that the fare increased on a year-on-year basis from N55,906.86 in May 2022 to N74,948.78 in May 2023.

It, however, failed to disclose the reasons behind the significant rise witnessed in the prices of airfares within the period under review.

The NBS nevertheless stated that experts have attributed the high prices in airfares and transportation generally to the fluctuating prices of aviation fuel and forex scarcity.

“In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes single journey increased by 0.002% on a month-on-month basis from N74,947.30 in April 2023 to N74,948.78 in May 2023,” the NBS said.

According to the NBS report, the Transport Fare Watch for May 2023 covers bus journeys within the city per drop in regular route.

It also covers bus journey intercity (state route) charge per person, air fare charge for specified routes single journey, journey by motorcycle (Okada) per drop and water-way passenger transport.

The report said the average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 0.23 per cent in May as N649.59 was recorded relative to N648.12 in April.

On a yearly basis, the NBS in its report said that the average fare rose by 11.66 per cent from N581.79 recorded within the same quarter in May 2022.

In another category, the NBS said the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop in May was N4,002.16.

“This signifies an increase of 0.19 per cent on a month-on-month basis compared to the N3,994.51 recorded in April,” the NBS noted.

On a year-on-year basis, the NBS said the bus journey fare rose by 9.09 per cent from N3,668.64 last year in May.

Similarly, the report noted that the average fare paid on motorcycle transportation in May was N464.55, a 0.49 per cent increase from the rate recorded in April (N462.29).

“On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 11.30% compared with the value in May 2022, which was N417.39,” the report said.

It said the average fare paid for water transport (waterway passenger transportation) in May stood at N1,045.15, showing an increase of 1.39 per cent from N1,030.83 in April.

Also, on a year-on-year basis, the rate increased by 10.99 per cent from N941.63 in May last year.