NANTA Condemns Sales of Tickets in Dollars

Stories by Chinedu Eze

The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has condemned the decision of some foreign airlines to sell their tickets only in dollars, insisting that such practice is inimical to Nigeria’s economic interest

The President of NANTA, Yinka Folami, excoriated the actions of the airlines for the exclusion of the naira from international travel transactions, describing it as a breach of the country’s legal tender laws.

Folami spoke in Lagos at a press conference to mark the 50 years of NANTA, noting that even if Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) and commercial air agreements signed between Nigeria and those foreign airlines allowed them to sell tickets in dollars it is not in exclusion of the naira.

The NANTA President emphasised that these frameworks were intended to provide payment alternatives—not to serve as a legal shield for the total rejection of the Nigerian currency.

He said that the insistence of some foreign airlines to sell tickets in dollars has created a barrier for local travellers and undermined the integrity of the domestic financial ecosystem. 

He therefore called for a balanced regulatory approach that protects the naira’s status as the primary medium of exchange, remarking that it was sad that airlines were insisting on the US dollar sales despite government’s successful fiscal direction and reforms.

“It is disrespectful when you exclude naira from the transaction. It is wrong,” the NANTA President said.

Folami expressed concern over visa restriction to Nigerian travellers and increasing global distrust, noting that the growing airline debit memos could kill businesses.

He also frowned at cross-border trading, which he noted is now on a downward trend and described the practice as anti-competitive, misinterpretation of tax policies and misapplication on NANTA members.