ECOWAS to abolish air ticket taxes in January

FILE PHOTO: ECOWAS Commission, Abuja office

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The Economic Community of West African States Commission has announced that all air ticket taxes in the region will be abolished by January 1, 2026, as part of an initiative to make air travel more affordable and enhance regional integration.

The decision is aimed at reducing the high costs of flights in West Africa, which have long been a barrier to trade, tourism, and economic growth across the region.

In an  interview with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Director of Transport and Telecommunications at the ECOWAS Commission, Chris Appiah, explained that the move followed years of research that highlighted West Africa’s status as “having the most expensive air transport services on the continent.”

Appiah pointed out that these costs are primarily driven by government-imposed taxes and aviation charges, which have inflated ticket prices. “These taxes are against the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s guidelines and suppress demand rather than support growth,” he added.

The issue was discussed by Heads of State during their 2023 Summit in Abuja, where they instructed transport and finance ministers to address the matter. As a result, ECOWAS implemented a supplementary act in December 2024, which mandates that member states eliminate air transport taxes and reduce aviation charges by 25 per cent starting in January 2026.

“From 1st January 2026, the heads of state have agreed that all member states should remove taxes on air transport,” the director confirmed. The move is part of ECOWAS’ broader strategy to strengthen regional integration, which relies heavily on connectivity.

“ECOWAS stands for regional integration, and regional integration rides on connectivity. One of the main modes of connecting our member states is air transport,” Appiah noted.

He also highlighted that four major taxes, including the “security tax,” will be removed entirely, as they do not have a genuine link to aviation services. Appiah argued that the removal of these taxes would stimulate demand, boost trade, and ultimately increase government revenue.

“What these taxes do is suppress demand, and air transport is not growing to support tourism, health, education, and other sectors,” the director explained.

He illustrated the burden on regional traders, saying, “If you want to buy goods from Lagos to Dakar, for instance, a trader will not pay less than $3,000 in tickets, and a lot of that is taxes.”

To ensure that airlines pass on the benefits to consumers, the Director said ECOWAS is engaging with airline operators to guarantee that ticket prices will also decrease once the tax and charge reforms are in place.

“We are working with the airlines themselves to make sure that when the taxes and charges are removed, they will also, in turn, reduce their tickets, so that the citizens of West Africa can travel freely,” he said.

The new policy is also expected to make West African airlines more competitive, as regions such as North, East, and Southern Africa have seen much faster growth in air travel, largely due to lower charges.

“Our charges are sometimes 67 per cent more than any other region on the continent,” Appiah observed, adding that airlines like Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, and Royal Air Maroc are thriving while West African airlines lag behind.

In closing, Appiah reiterated that the policy’s benefits would extend beyond airlines and governments, affecting all West African citizens. “This is revenue for the government because when taxes are reduced, demand goes up and lots of people start travelling,” he said.

The PUNCH journalist, Gift, has over three years of experience covering elections, security and foreign affairs.

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