Nigerian govt says airlines may be forced to hike ticket prices to cope with COVID-19 guidelines

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said on Monday there may be a hike in flight ticket due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Mustapha, who disclosed this during the daily briefing of the task force in Abuja, said the players in the aviation sector were in business for profit.

He said with the Ministry of Health and Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols on social distancing, airlines would be expected to airlift fewer passengers.

According to Mustapha, the operators will be required to share the cost in view of the present situation with their passengers.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Nigerian govt approves resumption of domestic flight operations

The Federal Airport Authority of FAAN (FAAN) had last week increased the Passenger Service Charge (PSC) for domestic and international flights by 100 percent.

In a memo to the airlines, the authority said the PSC for domestic flights would be increased from N1,000 to N2,000.

It added that the service charge for international flights had also been raised from $50 to $100.

The changes, according to FAAN, had been approved by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

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