Ikeja – Passenger traffic was high
at the domestic terminals of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos on
Friday as travellers increased at the airport ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir
celebrations.
A higher volume of travellers
was noticeable at the arrival and departure lounges of the domestic terminals.
At some airline counters, intending
passengers were seen struggling to get seats on available flights to various
destinations across the country.
Some airlines cashed in on the rush
and increased their fares on some routes; some by as much as 50 per cent.
An air ticket from Lagos to Kano,
which usually goes for between N22,500 and N27,000 depending on the airline and
time of purchase, rose to about N37,000.
Air fares for passengers travelling
from Lagos to Abuja, which is between N15,000 to N26,000, depending on the
airline and the time of flight, had risen to as much as N30,000 and in some
cases, more.
Long queues were visible at the Aero
Contractors Airlines check-in counter at the MMA2, and also at the Arik Airline
counter at the General Aviation Terminal one (GAT1).
A passenger travelling to Abuja with
her children, Mrs Fatimoh Lawal, said that she bought a ticket for the
flight from Lagos last week.
She, however, said she got to the
airport a few minutes after the first boarding call, but was denied access to
the plane on the excuse of arriving late for boarding.
“The airline’s officials didn’t
check me in. They said I was very late and I had to run around to raise extra
money to pay in order to be able to go with the next available flight.
“I think it is rather unfair,
because I should have been allowed to get on the plane,’’ she said.
The Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria (FAAN) advised air passengers across the country who wished to travel
for the holidays to get to the airport on time to avoid the last minute rush.
The Authority urged air passengers
to leave home early during the period in order to confirm their tickets and
complete other pre-boarding formalities in good time.
It said that the steps should be
taken in view of the vehicular traffic situation on the airport road.
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