The International Air Transport Association has flagged Nigeria as one of several African countries where aviation taxes and charges exceed global benchmarks, intensifying concerns over the rising cost of air travel and its impact on the continent’s aviation growth.
The disclosure was made at the IATA Focus Africa Conference in Addis Ababa, where the global airline body identified Nigeria alongside Angola, Ghana, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo as markets with disproportionately high aviation-related charges.
According to IATA, aviation costs across Africa are on average about 15 per cent higher than the global norm, a gap it said continues to push up ticket prices, weaken passenger demand and constrain regional connectivity. The association warned that the persistent high-cost environment is undermining the competitiveness of African airlines, particularly in West Africa where operators and travellers face some of the heaviest financial burdens.
A major concern highlighted by IATA is the growing use of Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record charges, commonly known as API-PNR levies. The organisation cautioned that the proliferation of such charges is compounding cost pressures in an already expensive operating environment. While Tanzania currently has the highest API-PNR charge globally at $45 for a one-way trip, Nigeria and several other African countries were also noted to be imposing fees above international standards.
The association further urged governments in the region to fully implement the December 2025 directive by the Economic Community of West African States, which seeks to eliminate certain aviation taxes and reduce others by 25 per cent. It warned that delays or inconsistent application of the policy across member states could blunt its intended impact and prolong cost inefficiencies in the sector.
For Nigeria, the warning reinforces long-standing concerns about the cumulative effect of multiple aviation levies. Industry data shows the country generated about $62 million from airline ticket taxes in 2024, and introduced an additional $11.50 security levy under its Advance Passenger Information System in December 2025, raising total security-related charges on international tickets to $31.50.
The cost pressures come amid broader operational challenges in Nigeria’s aviation sector, where airlines are already grappling with high fuel prices, foreign exchange constraints and infrastructure limitations, all of which continue to shape ticket pricing and service delivery across the market.
