NIGERIAN FLIGHTS UP BY 20%

Rush to beat Nigeria airfare hike.

Tickets bought before the deadline will still be valid for travel later. The cost of flying in Nigeria goes up by 20% on Monday owing to an increase in aviation fuel costs and taxes. A one-hour trip will rise in price from 10,000 to 12,000 naira ($70 to $83).Reports said there had been a run on tickets from people wanting to take advantage of the old prices before the midday deadline. The cost of aviation fuel rose last month rose to between N72 ($0.50) and N85 per litre, prompting local carriers to put up their fares.

President Olusegun Obasanjo has ordered fuel to be piped direct from depots to airports, to cut out the cost of transporting the fuel in tankers. Ticket desks were "besieged" by people trying to obtain tickets for travel later on at the old price, the Nigerian Guardian newspaper reports.Tickets bought before the deadline will still be valid for travel later, though one airline official warned that passengers might still have to pay an additional reservation fee. Nigeria's domestic carriers have been hit by the entry of foreign competition into the local market.

Late last year, the industry's image was tarnished by two serious crashes, which prompted the president to invoke powers to suspend the services of airlines that did not comply with safety rules.

BBC NEWS REPORT.