Cheap Flights from Lagos to Abuja

When to Book

Demand rises sharply on Monday mornings and Friday evenings with business traffic. Mid-week departures are usually cheaper.

Lagos and Abuja airports

Domestic flights leave Lagos from Murtala Muhammed Airport's domestic side, which is physically separate from the international terminal — allow for that if you are connecting from an inbound international flight, because moving between them means leaving one building and travelling to another. Most scheduled domestic carriers operate from the MMA2 terminal, though allocations do change, so check which terminal your airline is using when your ticket is issued. In Abuja you arrive at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport's domestic terminal, a short distance from the international building and roughly 40 minutes from the city centre along the airport expressway.

Flight times and daily schedule

Lagos to Abuja is the busiest domestic corridor in Nigeria and the schedule reflects that. Departures start early — the first wave leaves from around 6:00am — and continue at intervals through the day until the evening, with the last departures typically in the early evening. The early-morning and late-afternoon banks are the ones business travellers compete for, which is exactly why they price highest. If your schedule is flexible, a late-morning or early-afternoon departure is usually the cheapest seat on the same day, and it also carries less risk of a knock-on delay, since disruption tends to accumulate as the day goes on.

Getting to the airport

Give yourself far more time than the distance suggests. Lagos traffic is the single most common reason people miss domestic flights, and a journey from the Island or the Mainland that takes 40 minutes at 6:00am can take well over two hours by mid-morning. For a domestic departure, arriving at the airport 90 minutes to two hours before your flight is sensible, and more if you are travelling during peak traffic or in the rainy season. Abuja is far easier in the other direction — the airport expressway is fast outside rush hour, and 45 minutes to an hour from most parts of the city is a realistic allowance.

Baggage on this route

Checked baggage allowance on Nigerian domestic routes varies by airline and by fare type, and low-cost fares increasingly carry a smaller allowance or none at all. Because the rules differ between carriers and change from time to time, confirm your specific allowance when your ticket is issued rather than assuming a standard figure. Excess baggage is charged at the airport and is significantly more expensive than pre-paying, so if you know you will be over, tell TBILS when you book and we will factor it in.

What Lagos to Abuja flights cost

Lagos to Abuja fares move a great deal depending on the day of the week, the time of day and how far ahead you book. As a general pattern, Monday-morning and Friday-evening departures are the most expensive, mid-week and mid-day flights the least, and booking roughly two to three weeks ahead lands better than either last-minute or very far out. Fares also rise sharply around Christmas, Easter and public holidays. The figures shown on this page are indicative estimates to help you plan — for an actual price on your dates, contact TBILS and we will quote across every carrier operating the route.