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 states.
An insider at Arik Air confirmed that most passengers had booked their tickets before the Sallah holiday due to the rush.
“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,” the source told Sun.
“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 added.
The source said the Arik 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,” he said.
“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 has really been good.”
He, however, lamented the high cost of aviation fuel and lack of forex.
