Holding the Line: CADEF Advocates For Fair Airline Pricing and Consumer Protection

In the wake of rising oil prices and renewed concerns about airfare increases, our Executive Director of Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF), Prof. Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, joined Arise TV  on Friday, March 13, to speak on the need to protect Nigerian consumers from exploitative practices within the aviation sector.

Speaking on the recent development where Nigeria’s consumer protection watchdog indicated that passengers may receive refunds for excessive airfare charges during the 2025 festive period, Prof. Ndukwe-Okafor described the move as a significant step forward for consumer rights.

According to her, this signals a growing shift in consumer awareness and trust in regulatory processes. She noted that the sharp and simultaneous increase in ticket prices across airlines, rising by as much as 200 to 400 percent during the festive period, pointed strongly to exploitative practices rather than market-driven changes.

Responding to claims by airline operators that pricing is influenced by complex operational costs such as fuel, maintenance, and foreign exchange pressures, she maintained that such arguments do not justify the scale of the increase observed. She emphasized that many of these costs remain relatively stable over short periods, raising critical questions about the rationale behind such sudden spikes.

While acknowledging that price increases are expected during peak travel periods globally, she pointed out that such adjustments are typically modest—not extreme. The scale of increases observed locally, she argued, falls outside the bounds of standard market behaviour.

On the possibility of refunds for affected passengers, Prof. Ndukwe-Okafor affirmed that the process is both feasible and necessary. She explained that airlines maintain detailed passenger records and have the systems required to facilitate reimbursement, as is done in other jurisdictions.

For us at CADEF, we strongly believe that consumers should be informed, protected, and not left to bear the cost of systemic failures.

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