This is very impressive!

http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/domestic-flights-passengers-purchase-n67bn-online-tickets-annually/

Internet savvy air travellers in Nigeria spend an estimated N67bn on online purchase of domestic air tickets annually, a report has said.

The Internet, according to the report, is fast becoming the most preferred booking channel among air passengers.

Ciuci Consulting, an indigenous management consulting firm, which authored the report, described air travellers in Nigeria as among those with frequent access to the Internet.

According to Ciuci, there are 43 million Internet users in Nigeria consisting students, entry – level employees, experienced non-managers, experienced managers, executives and senior executives.

The report, which attempted to find those who could fly among them, said, “If 50 per cent of the population of the country falls between the ages of 18 and 45 years, we could apply that ration on the number of Internet users. Therefore, it is estimated that at least 50 per cent of Internet users—21 million people fall between the ages of 18 and 45 years.”

The report argued that those people also make up the bulk of the economic active age group who could afford to fly. It added that the economically active paid for the non-economically active such as students.

The report, which submitted that the average ticket price for a regular local air trip in Nigeria was N16,000, said that out of the 21 million potential passengers, 20 per cent earned more than N800,000 per annum and travelled once a year on the average, resulting in a total of 4.2 million Internet savvy passengers.

“Therefore, the total annual market size for online air passengers is estimated at 4.2 million people multiplied by N16, 000, which equals N67.2bn,”the report said.

The Founder and Managing Partner, Ciusi Consulting, Mr. Chukwuka Monye, highlighted advancement in Internet access influenced by the landing of Main One and Glo 1 submarine fibre cables as well as the country’s growing number of Internet/ mobile users as major driving forces behind this development.

Monye said online ticket purchase in Nigeria had since skyrocketed, as airline operators were taking advantage of the situation by providing functional websites where passengers could make enquiries concerning flight schedules, make bookings and also pay for their tickets in most cases.

According to the report, 81 per cent of domestic online purchases are done online, nine per cent through travel agency, while airline desk and mobile phone account for five per cent each.

He said, “From the results, the most preferred booking channel as reflected by 81 per cent of the respondents is the Internet. This is obvious because it is the most convenient option available to passengers, as all they require is a computer and Internet access to make the booking.”

Of the 130 respondents surveyed online, the report revealed that 72 per cent of local passengers resided in Lagos, 17 per cent in Abuja and the remaining 11 per cent in other states.

Ninety five per cent of the domestic airline passengers, it said, belonged to the economy class while the remaining five per cent were in the business class.

Though local airlines had functional websites that enabled users transact easily, the report said they all fell short in varieties of areas when compared with websites of foreign operators.

For more:
http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/domestic-flights-passengers-purchase-n67bn-online-tickets-annually/