The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says airlines found to have manipulated ticket prices during the 2025 Christmas and New Year travel period may be required to refund passengers who paid excessive fares.
The commission disclosed this after completing preliminary investigations into complaints of sharp increases in domestic airfares during the festive season.
Speaking at a State House “Meet the Press” briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the agency’s Executive Vice-Chairman, Tunji Bello, said the commission had already identified wrongdoing by some operators and was considering sanctions.
“The preliminary report is ready. We’ve already found them wanting in that regard. We are now on the issue of penalties,” Bello said.
He added that the commission was also considering measures that could compel airlines to refund excess charges to affected passengers.
“What we are also considering is to look at the situation where we will have to ask them to refund the excess to the passengers which we assume they exploited,” he added.
The probe followed widespread complaints from travellers over steep airfare increases during the December holiday period. The consumer protection agency had in December 2025 announced an industry-wide investigation after ticket prices surged on several domestic routes.
According to the commission’s earlier findings, some routes recorded price differences of up to ₦405,000 between regular fares and the amounts charged during the peak travel period. Passengers reported that tickets which usually cost about ₦150,000 were sold for between ₦400,000 and ₦600,000 during the rush.
However, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) disputed the findings, arguing that airfare increases during peak periods are largely driven by market forces such as high demand, limited aircraft capacity, rising operational costs and foreign exchange pressures, rather than price collusion.
Bello said the investigation revealed patterns suggesting possible price manipulation among several airlines but declined to name the operators involved for now.
“I don’t want to mention the airlines. There are many of them. I know about five or six were involved, but I don’t want to mention names for now,” he said.
He added that the final report would soon be released, detailing penalties and other regulatory actions. The FCCPC also said it had begun a separate probe into rising cement prices across the country.