Top 10 African Countries with Highest Airfare Costs (2024)

People travelling by air from airports in Africa are now paying more money, as international flight tickets include many hidden charges.

Based on the 2024 Taxes and Charges Study Review by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), passengers paid about US $68 in taxes, fees, and other charges for each international trip in 2024. 

This amount was slightly higher than the US $66 paid in 2022. On average, every ticket had 3.5 different types of charges, such as departure taxes, passenger service fees, and recovery costs added by the airport and air navigation service providers.

1. Gabon — US $297.7

Gabon’s staggering US $297.7 in average levies stems largely from multiple layers of departure taxes at Libreville International Airport, where travellers face both a basic “passenger facility charge” and a separate “security enhancement fee.” Added to this are cargo‐handling surcharges that, by regulation, get passed on to ticket buyers.

With recent expansions to the passenger terminal and runway resurfacing projects financed through incremental ticket fees, Gabon now carries the unenviable crown for the continent’s most expensive departure point.

2. Sierra Leone — US $294.0

At US$294, Sierra Leone follows close behind, driven by a blend of post‐Ebola biosecurity levies and airport modernisation fees at Lungi International. In the past two years, Freetown’s lone gateway has undergone extensive security upgrades,

including new screening scanners, hardened perimeter fencing, and specialised sanitary protocols, each funded via small per‐passenger add‐ons that, together, push the average ticket charge to near‐Gabon levels.

3. Nigeria — US $180.0

Nigeria’s US$180 average hides considerable variation among its six international airports. Murtala Muhammed International in Lagos carries the lion’s share of fees, air navigation charges, passenger service fees, and a ₦10,000 “airport development levy”, whereas Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International is marginally cheaper.

The overall high cost reflects an ambitious infrastructure borrowing program: runway extensions, new terminal complexes, and digital‐boarding installations that airlines must help amortise.

4. Djibouti — US $168.7

Djibouti’s US $168.7 in average airport charges belies its modest passenger volumes. As a strategic Red Sea hub, the country imposes above‐average security fees for overflight rights and cargo‐screening levies to offset its pivotal role in global shipping lanes.

Add to that passenger facilitation charges—required for every international embarkation—and the result is one of the region’s most expensive tickets, despite relatively limited airport infrastructure.

5. Niger — US $130.7

Niger, landlocked and reliant on its sole international gateway at Niamey, posts US $130.7 in average levies.

To cover the costs of maintaining a remote runway and importing aviation fuel, authorities impose a departure tax nearly double the continental norm, plus a “safety‐oversight fee” mandated by ICAO conventions.

For travellers, this means that flying out of Niamey can cost almost 50% more in ancillary charges than departing neighbouring countries.

6. Benin Republic — US $123.4

Cotonou’s Cardinal Bernardin Gantin International Airport combines tourism‐focused levies (“culture promotion charges”) with standard passenger facility fees, resulting in an US $123.4 average ticket add‐on.

Recent efforts to position Benin as a beach‐resort gateway have seen additional marketing surcharges tacked onto tickets, while the airport recoups ongoing terminal maintenance costs through per‐passenger service charges.

7. Liberia — US $115.0

In Liberia, average levies of US $115 are driven by post‐epidemic investments in health‐screening infrastructure and perimeter security at Roberts International. Passengers now pay both a “health safety fee” and a general aviation levy, reflecting upgrades made after the 2014 outbreak.

The combination of biosecurity levies and standard departure taxes pushes Liberia into the continental top seven for ticket charges.

8. Ghana — US $111.5

Ghana’s US $111.5 average sits partly on major capital works at Kotoka International, new apron expansions, upgraded baggage‐handling systems, and a photovoltaic backup power facility.

Funding these via a “capital development surcharge” on each international departure has helped keep landing‐fee revenues off government balance sheets, but it means Ghanaian travellers bear a higher sticker price.

9. DR Congo — US $109.9

Kinshasa’s N’djili International Airport charges an US $109.9 average in embedded levies, blending government‐imposed aviation taxes with substantial “navigation service fees” paid to the Congolese air‐traffic management agency.

With ongoing modernisation efforts—radar installations, runway lighting upgrades, and restructured ticket‐pricing protocols—the cumulative cost burden on passengers sits just above the African average.

10. Chad — US $105.7

Chad’s US $105.7 average is notable both for its position in the top ten and for an 18.2% drop versus 2022. After peaking at US $129.3, authorities restructured Chad’s only international airport fee schedule, reducing some security and facilitation charges while consolidating overlapping service levies.

The result: a meaningful cost relief for outbound travellers, even as Chad remains among the continent’s pricier departure points.