Requirements for Local Flight in Nigeria: ID, Bags, Check-in

The rules for a flight within Nigeria are set by each airline. FAAN, which runs the airports, says in its own FAQ that the ID you need is down to your airline. So we read the FAQ and conditions of carriage pages of thirteen airlines that fly local routes, and the regulation the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) uses to protect passengers.

The airlines agree on the essentials. They differ on the details that make people miss flights: when the counter closes and how much a bag may weigh. Both are in the table below. The airlines themselves, and the cities each one sells, are on our page on domestic airlines in Nigeria.

The ID airlines accept

You need a valid photo ID, and the name on it must match the name on the ticket. Airlines ask for it at check-in and again at the boarding gate. Aero and Overland both say that a passenger without photo ID will be refused boarding.

What counts as valid depends on who you fly with:

• Ibom Air accepts a government-issued or company-issued photo ID. Its conditions of carriage give a driver’s licence, national ID card and voter’s card as examples.
• XEJet lists a driver’s licence, a national or institutional ID, or a passport.
• Overland, Rano Air and ValueJet say government-issued ID.
• Air Peace, Aero and Binani Air say valid photo identification without naming types.
• Max Air says any valid form of identification for domestic flights.

The safe choice is a government-issued card that has not expired: national ID card, driver’s licence, voter’s card or international passport. A staff or school ID is good at Ibom Air and XEJet, and may not be at an airline that says government-issued. Air Peace says an expired ID is not accepted.

You do not need a passport or a visa for a local flight. A passport is just one of the IDs that work.

Children and infants

Children need ID too. Ibom Air, Overland and XEJet all say a child must show photo ID, and that a birth certificate will do for an infant. Aero asks for a birth certificate or passport for every child.

An infant is a child under two, travelling on an adult’s lap. Air Peace, Ibom Air, Overland and Rano Air charge 10% of the adult fare for one. Air Peace, Overland and Rano Air charge children aged two to eleven 75%. Air Peace adds that it may ask for proof of the child’s age.

Newborns have a minimum age. Ibom Air will not carry a baby under seven days old, and Max Air and XEJet set the line at eight days.

A child can fly alone from about the age of five as an unaccompanied minor. Air Peace, Ibom Air, Max Air, Overland, Rano Air and ValueJet all offer this. Ask the airline before you book, because the age range, the paperwork and the fee differ.

Pregnant passengers should check as well. Air Peace asks for a doctor’s report at any stage and carries nobody beyond 32 weeks. Ibom Air asks for the report from 28 weeks and stops at 34.

How to book and pay

There are three ways to buy a ticket.

• The airline’s website or app. Pick the two cities and a date, and the form shows the flights and fares for that day. Enter each passenger’s name exactly as it is on the ID.
• The airline’s counter at the airport, or a city ticket office. Air Peace, Aero, Binani Air, Ibom Air, Overland and Rano Air all sell this way.
• A travel agent. If you book through one, changes and refunds go back through the agent. Air Peace, United Nigeria and XEJet all say so.

Online, Air Peace and ValueJet take Nigerian bank debit cards, credit cards and bank transfer. Air Peace also takes payment at the airport, and Binani Air lists POS at its ticket offices. Air Peace, ValueJet and Max Air let you hold a booking and pay later. Overland holds one for 30 minutes.

Once you pay, the ticket arrives by email with a booking reference. Keep it on your phone or print it. Arik says its e-ticket arrives within an hour, and to email or call if it does not.

Three things to know before you pay:

• Tickets are not transferable. Airlines will not put another person’s name on one. A misspelt name can be corrected, and the NCAA’s rules say the airline cannot charge for that if you ask at least 48 hours before the flight.
• Many fares are not refundable. Aero says its tickets are non-refundable, and Rano Air refunds only when the airline cancels. Read the fare rules on the booking form.
• You have 24 hours to change your mind if you bought at least seven days before the flight. The NCAA’s rules say the airline must then refund you or hold the ticket for six months.

Air Peace and Arik both warn of fraudsters selling tickets in their names. Buy from the airline’s own website, its app, its counter or an agent you know.

Check-in deadlines and baggage by airline

The deadline is the time the counter closes, not the time you join the queue. Economy class, domestic flights:

Where a cell gives two figures, the airline’s own pages disagree with each other. Ibom Air’s FAQ says 45 minutes and its conditions of carriage say 60. Max Air and Rano Air each give one baggage figure in the FAQ and another elsewhere. Air Peace’s terms say 20kg while its baggage page still says 15kg. Plan for the stricter figure, and check the allowance printed on your ticket.

Business and premium cabins get 30kg at most of these airlines. Extra weight is charged per kilogram at the airport. Green Africa is missing from the table because its website would not load for us.

Online check-in opens 24 hours before departure at Air Peace, Ibom Air, Umza Air, United Nigeria and XEJet, and closes one to two hours before. With a bag to check you still go to the counter, and the same deadline applies.

At the airport, step by step

1. Confirm the terminal before you leave home. Lagos has two domestic terminals: the General Aviation Terminal, which airlines also call MM1 or old domestic, and MMA2. Air Peace and Arik use both, depending on the route, and list which on their websites.
2. Arrive two hours before departure. That is the NCAA’s figure for domestic flights. Most counters open two hours before, and Air Peace’s open three.
3. Go to your airline’s counter with your ID and booking reference. Your bag is weighed and tagged, and you get a boarding pass and a baggage receipt. Keep both until you have your bag back.
4. Go through security. FAAN says taking off shoes, belts and metal jewellery speeds things up. Laptops come out of the bag. Once you are through, you cannot go back out.
5. Wait at the gate and listen for your flight. Staff check your boarding pass and ID again. Boarding closes 15 minutes before departure at Air Peace, Binani Air, Enugu Air and United Nigeria.
6. Collect your bag on arrival. If it is missing or damaged, report it at the airline’s desk before you leave the airport. Air Peace says it accepts no liability once you have left without filing a report.

On packing: liquids are restricted in hand luggage. Air Peace and Overland allow none, and Aero and ValueJet allow containers of up to 100ml, so put them in the checked bag. Power banks go the other way: ValueJet says cabin bag only, never the checked one. Keep money, documents, medicine and electronics with you.

If your flight is delayed or cancelled

Part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations sets out what an airline owes you on a domestic flight. The cover applies if you turned up for check-in on time.

• Any delay: the airline must give the reason within 30 minutes of the scheduled departure time.
• After two hours: refreshments, plus two free phone calls, texts or emails.
• Beyond three hours: your choice of a full refund or a seat on another flight.
• Between 10pm and 4am, or when the airport is closed: hotel accommodation and transport to it.
• More than six hours: compensation of at least 25% of the fare.
• Cancellation: the same care, a refund or another flight, and the 25% compensation unless you were told at least 24 hours before departure.
• Bumped from an overbooked flight: the 25% compensation, plus a refund or another flight.
• Bag left behind: it comes on the next flight and the airline owes you ₦10,000 on the spot. A bag not delivered within seven days counts as lost.

The airline can avoid the 25% compensation if it proves the cause was extraordinary and unavoidable. The refund is still owed. A ticket bought with cash is refunded immediately, and one paid for by bank transfer within 14 days. The airline must also hand you a written notice of these rights when it cancels a flight or delays one by an hour or more, so ask for it.

Complain to the airline first. If that fails, the NCAA takes complaints at its consumer protection desk in the airport, on its consumer portal and at [email protected]. Send a copy of the ticket and of what you wrote to the airline. The full text is on the NCAA’s website.

Quick answers

What do I need to board a local flight in Nigeria?

Your ticket or booking reference and a valid photo ID in the same name. Every airline that states a rule accepts a government-issued ID.

Do I need a passport for a local flight in Nigeria?

No. A national ID card, driver’s licence or voter’s card works as well. A passport is only one of the options.

How early should I get to the airport for a local flight?

Two hours before departure, by the NCAA’s advice. Counters close 30 to 60 minutes before, depending on the airline.

Can I book a local flight at the airport?

Yes. Airlines sell tickets at their airport counters, and Air Peace says you can pay for an online booking there too. The NCAA’s advice is to book as far ahead as you can for the lowest fare.

What am I owed if my local flight is delayed?

Refreshments after two hours, and a full refund or another flight once the delay passes three hours. That is in Part 19 of the NCAA’s regulations.