I came across a viral piece online calling for a permanent boycott of Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, accusing Allen Onyema and Obiora Okonkwo of “betrayal capitalism.” The argument is simple but incendiary: that these airlines, both Igbo-owned, exploit the desperation of Igbo travellers to return home during Christmas, charging fares six to eight times higher than comparable northern routes.
The data presented is staggering. In 2023, a Lagos–Enugu one-way ticket hit ₦135,000, while Lagos–Kano, nearly double the distance, cost ₦55,000. By 2024, Lagos–Enugu had risen to ₦215,000, Lagos–Asaba ₦205,000, while Lagos–Kano was ₦78,000. Now, for Christmas 2025, Lagos–Enugu tickets are already advertised at ₦350,500 one-way, with Abuja–Enugu hitting ₦275,000. Meanwhile, Lagos–Kano return costs less than one-third of Lagos–Enugu return.
The “price-per-nautical-mile” analysis seals the indictment. Passengers flying Lagos–Kano pay about ₦238 per NM. Lagos–Enugu passengers pay ₦1,384 per NM. Abuja–Enugu passengers pay ₦1,806 per NM. Six to eight times more. The conclusion? A deliberate targeting of Igbo routes, exploiting seasonal demand and emotional attachment to the homeland.
But before we rally around hashtags like #AbandonAirPeace, a few questions demand interrogation.
Are Igbo Airlines Guilty of Exploitation?
Yes, the numbers paint an ugly picture. But airline economics is complex. Demand spikes during Christmas for South-East routes unlike anywhere else in Nigeria. Tens of thousands of travellers converge on Enugu, Owerri, Asaba, and Anambra in a short two-week window. Northern routes do not see this mass movement. In aviation, limited seat supply versus extraordinary demand inevitably drives prices upward. Are Onyema and Okonkwo profiteering, or are they applying the same market logic foreign carriers apply to Nigerians traveling to London, New York, or Dubai during festive peaks?
Are Igbo Airlines Being Held to a Higher Moral Standard?
The boycott call frames it as betrayal because these airlines are Igbo-owned. But what about Ibom Air, Arik, or foreign carriers? Ibom Air fares also rise during festive peaks, though perhaps not as sharply. Foreign carriers have long fleeced Nigerians with $2,000–$3,000 Christmas flights to London. Yet the outrage here is sharper, precisely because Onyema and Okonkwo are “our brothers.” This raises a moral dilemma: should ethnic solidarity translate to special treatment in capitalist markets? Or should Igbo-owned airlines be judged by the same yardstick as every other carrier?
Is There Regulatory Failure?
Ultimately, it is not Air Peace or United Nigeria alone that bear responsibility. Nigeria lacks effective regulation of domestic airfares, leaving operators free to exploit demand surges unchecked. In countries with stronger aviation regulators, fare caps or subsidised peak-time operations prevent such extremes. Shouldn’t our anger be directed not just at Onyema and Okonkwo, but at the federal aviation authorities who allow this inequity to persist?
The Real Risk of a Boycott
A permanent Igbo boycott of Air Peace and United Nigeria could have unintended consequences. Air Peace, despite its faults, is the only Nigerian airline sustaining long-haul operations to London, Dubai, Jeddah, and Johannesburg, giving Nigerians a competitive edge against foreign carriers. United Nigeria is expanding regional access. If Igbo travellers withdraw en masse, northern and foreign airlines stand to benefit most, while two Igbo-owned airlines could collapse under financial strain. Does this serve the long-term interest of the South-East?
The Balance Sheet
The boycott call captures a real grievance: it feels unjust that Christmas flights home should cost more than trips to Europe. It feels like betrayal when that injustice comes from within. But the issue is larger than two airlines. It is about regulation, market failures, and the absence of state-subsidised transport infrastructure for peak periods.
So yes, Onyema and Okonkwo must answer: why does it cost six times more to fly to Enugu than to Kano? But regulators, government, and even travellers themselves must also answer: what alternatives exist if Igbo-owned airlines are abandoned?
The question then is not simply whether to boycott, but whether we are ready to confront the structural failures of Nigeria’s aviation market.
Has it come to this, that to go home at Christmas, the Igbo must choose between financial strangulation and abandoning airlines built by their own? Or will this moment spark a deeper reckoning about aviation fairness, regulation, and solidarity?
Chima “Oblong” Nnadi-Oforgu
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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