With the festive season approaching, Nigerian air travellers have voiced strong frustration over the continued sale of flight tickets in foreign currencies, particularly the US dollar.
Many fear the move will push airfares even higher, making air travel increasingly out of reach for ordinary Nigerians.
The policy, recently revived by some international airlines, has triggered widespread backlash across the aviation industry.
Stakeholders and passengers alike have denounced the dollar-only ticket sales as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and called on the Federal Government to take immediate action, according to The Punch.
During random interviews at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos on Monday, several travellers expressed concern that the dollar-only ticket policy would worsen the usual festive-season fare hikes, further straining the budgets of many families.
Compounding their frustration, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority recently announced a new charge of $11.50 per ticket, effective December 1, 2025.
The levy, introduced under the Advance Passenger Information System initiative, has fueled additional outrage across the aviation sector.
According to the NCAA, the APIS fee is designed to enhance security and improve passenger clearance at Nigerian airports by enabling the collection and processing of traveller data before arrival. However, despite this justification, the charge has drawn skepticism from many quarters. Critics argue that the fee—separate from the existing $20 security charge introduced in 2010—will further strain passengers financially and complicate air travel procedures.
Still, the most contentious issue for many Nigerians remains the decision by some foreign airlines to insist on ticket payments exclusively in US dollars—a move widely seen as exploitative and disrespectful to Nigeria’s legal tender.
A Morocco-bound passenger, Aderele James, condemned the dollar-only ticket policy, calling it a deliberate attempt to undermine Nigeria’s economy.
*The legal tender in Nigeria is the naira, and so should it be across all transactions. These people won’t allow such in their country. I wonder why our leaders are keeping a criminal silence on this matter.
“I have made it a principle never to fly any airline, insisting that I must pay in dollars. My family and I have made it a principle never to fly any airline that takes other currencies in our country. This is utterly disrespectful and unacceptable.
“We suffered to gain our independence; an attempt for anyone to trample on it should be resisted with all our might. To keep quiet about this is to tell these people to keep oppressing us. The President should please do something about this,” James said.
Another traveller, identified simply as Mrs Lawson, vowed to boycott any airline that refuses payment in naira, describing the dollar-only policy as discriminatory and insensitive.
Meanwhile, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents, Yinka Folami, acknowledged that while foreign airlines have the right to make business decisions, such actions must not violate Nigeria’s sovereignty or disregard its legal framework.
Folami said, “Excluding the naira from transactions in Nigeria is unjustifiable. Such actions put undue pressure on our currency and undermine government efforts to stabilise the economy.”
He cautioned that the persistent demand for dollars in the aviation sector could further weaken the naira and urged airlines to demonstrate confidence in Nigeria’s improving fiscal outlook.
“Opening ticket sales in naira will empower thousands of young agents, create jobs, and boost the economy,” he added. “We remain optimistic that the government will soon end this practice.”
