ECOWAS to Cut Airfare Costs from January 2026

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it will abolish air ticket taxes across all airports in the subregion by January 1, 2026, in a major step aimed at reducing the notoriously high cost of air travel in West Africa.

Chris Appiah, ECOWAS director of transport and communications, disclosed the policy shift during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

Appiah said the directive—approved by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in December 2024—follows years of technical studies confirming that West Africa has the highest airfares in Africa, driven largely by government-imposed taxes and aviation charges.

According to him, studies show that 64% to 70% of the cost of a typical airline ticket in West Africa is made up of taxes and charges, far higher than what passengers face in other African regions.

“From 1st January 2026, the Heads of State have agreed that all Member States should remove taxes on air transport,” Appiah said. “These taxes are against ICAO guidelines and suppress demand rather than support growth.”

He explained that the policy is central to ECOWAS’ long-standing integration agenda, which requires affordable and seamless connectivity to enable the free movement of people, goods and services.

Appiah highlighted how current airfare levels hinder trade, mobility and tourism.

“For a trader buying goods from Lagos to Dakar, for instance, a ticket will not cost less than $3,000, and a lot of that is taxes,” he said.

He added that ECOWAS is already engaging airlines to ensure they reduce fares once the tax burden is removed, stressing that passengers must directly feel the impact of the reform.

Appiah noted that other African regions charge significantly less—up to 67% lower in some cases—allowing carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways and Royal Air Maroc to thrive, while West African operators struggle under a punitive cost structure.

He said ECOWAS is working with national governments, parliaments and aviation stakeholders to ensure that the policy is fully implemented by the January 2026 deadline.