Quick answer: no airline publicly confirms a bookable, scheduled Lagos to Ibadan flight right now. Ibadan Airport (IBA) at Alakia is open and handling scheduled flights, mainly to Abuja. One airline, Overland Airways, appears in third party schedule listings on the Lagos route as flight OF1190, three times a week, but its own site does not publish the service or a fare. For most travellers the train takes about two and a half to three hours from ₦3,600, and a park bus costs about ₦5,000. Confirm any flight with the airline itself before you pay.
Route status, fares and timetables checked against airline, airport, rail and road sources on 4 November 2026. Recheck them for your date, because Nigerian domestic schedules change at short notice.
The route at a glance
| Question | Answer as of 4 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Direct scheduled flight confirmed by an airline | None found |
| Airline appearing in third party listings | Overland Airways, flight OF1190, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday |
| Time in the air if it operates | About 30 minutes |
| Ibadan airport | Ibadan Airport (IBA) at Alakia |
| Lagos departure point | MMA2 or GAT in Ikeja, check your ticket |
| Road distance | About 133 km |
| Practical alternatives | NRC train, Pacesetter or private buses, private car |
Do Lagos to Ibadan flights exist? The honest status
This is the first question everyone asks, and most pages avoid answering it. Here is what the evidence shows.
Ibadan Airport is open. It handles scheduled passenger flights, and FAAN lists it among Nigeria’s domestic airports. News reports say it reopened to scheduled flights in December 2025 after runway and safety works.
Overland Airways is the only airline listed on the Lagos route. Third party schedule trackers show OF1190 leaving Lagos for Ibadan on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with about 30 minutes in the air. The return shows as OF1192.
But the airline has not confirmed it. Overland’s own website does not currently publish a Lagos to Ibadan service or a fare for it. A listing on a tracker is not a ticket. Treat OF1190 as unconfirmed until you see it on the airline’s booking page or hear it from its booking desk.
The ₦6,500 fare you may have seen is old. In August 2023, BusinessDay reported that Green Africa Airways made its maiden flight to Ibadan and publicised a limited time ₦6,500 fare in connection with a planned Ibadan to Lagos link. That report described an expectation, not a launched schedule. Green Africa’s current listed Ibadan service is to Abuja, not Lagos. Do not plan around that fare.
Air Peace serves Ibadan, but not from Lagos. Its Ibadan flights run on the Abuja corridor. That still matters if you are connecting, because it changes your routing.
So the route is possible on paper, unproven in practice, and unpriced. If a direct flight decides your day, verify it before you commit.
Why this route has so few flights
The airport is not the problem. The economics are.
Lagos to Ibadan is about 133 km by road. A plane covers that in roughly 30 minutes. But you also need two hours of airport time on the Lagos side, a ride to Ikeja, and a ride from Alakia into Ibadan. Door to door, a 30 minute flight is often a four to six hour trip. The train does the same journey in about two and a half to three hours with less friction.
Airlines also place aircraft where each hour earns more. A Lagos to Abuja or Lagos to Port Harcourt sector carries more revenue per flight hour than a 30 minute hop. That is why short domestic sectors in Nigeria come and go.
For you, this is not bad news. The alternatives cost less and run on fixed timetables.
How to verify a flight in five checks
Do these in order before you pay anyone.
- Search the airline’s own site for your exact date. Not an aggregator, not a WhatsApp flyer. If the route is not there, it is not on sale.
- Call the airline’s published booking line. Ask one question: do you currently operate scheduled flights between Lagos and Ibadan on this date? Note the name of the person you spoke to.
- Check the Lagos terminal. Domestic flights use MMA2 or GAT, and turning up at the wrong one costs you the seat. See our guide to Lagos domestic terminals, MMA2 or GAT.
- Check the Ibadan arrival point. Ibadan Airport is at Alakia, east of the city centre, not in the middle of town. Budget a ride into Bodija, Dugbe or Challenge.
- Verify any booking line before money leaves your account. If someone sends an account number on WhatsApp, run the checks in our guide to verifying a WhatsApp booking line.
If any step fails, stop. A refund dispute on a route with no published schedule is a hard fight, and the NCAA consumer protection page is where complaints end up.
What a Lagos to Ibadan flight would really cost
There is no published fare for this route, so any figure would be invented. What you can do is price the whole journey and compare it honestly.
| Cost item | What to check |
|---|---|
| Base fare | Quoted per passenger, one way, for your date |
| Taxes and surcharges | Often added at checkout |
| Lagos side transfer | Ride to MMA2 or GAT, plus two hours of your day |
| Ibadan side transfer | Alakia into the city, often 30 to 60 minutes |
| Luggage | Cabin versus checked, and the excess rate per kilo |
| Change and refund terms | What happens if the flight is cancelled at short notice |
Add those up before you compare with a ₦3,600 train ticket. On a short sector, the transfers usually decide it.
Flight, train, bus or car: the real comparison
| Option | Typical published cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight, if bookable | Not published on this route | 30 minutes airborne, 4 to 6 hours door to door | Connections onward from Ibadan, hand luggage only |
| NRC train | ₦3,600 regular, ₦6,500 business, ₦13,000 first class | 2h 21m to 3h 03m by timetable | Fixed timing, comfort, avoiding expressway traffic |
| Pacesetter bus | ₦5,000, last published fare from 1 February 2025 | 2 to 3 hours in light traffic | Ojota or Ikeja residents heading to Eleyele |
| Private park buses | About ₦7,000 to ₦8,000 when last reported | Varies with traffic | Flexible departure times |
| Private car | Fuel, driver and wear, your own figure | About 1.5 to 3 hours | Door to door, groups, heavy luggage |
Fares move. Treat every figure above as a dated reference and get a fresh quote for your date. Our guide to how the season changes Lagos transport fares explains why December and Sallah weeks cost more.
The train: the strongest option on this corridor
The Nigerian Railway Corporation runs the standard gauge service from Mobolaji Johnson Station at Ebute Metta to the Ibadan station at Moniya.
- Fares: ₦3,600 regular adult, ₦6,500 business, ₦13,000 first class, as published by NRC. One NRC fare column also shows a ₦3,000 regular figure, so confirm the class price at the counter.
- Times: Sunday to Thursday departures at 08:00 and 16:00. Friday and Saturday add 07:15 and 13:40. Scheduled Lagos to Ibadan journey time runs from 2h 21m to 3h 03m.
- Booking: NRC runs an online ticketing portal. Buy early for Friday and Sunday, which fill fastest.
Two practical notes. Moniya is north of the city, so a taxi into Bodija or Dugbe is part of your cost. And the train leaves on time, which the expressway does not. Our full Lagos to Ibadan train guide covers stations, classes and boarding.
If you are travelling with an older relative, a fixed timetable makes the train easier than a park. Our notes on travelling with elderly parents cover the rest.
The bus: cheaper than you think, but check the park
There is no single official bus fare. Each operator sets its own.
- Pacesetter Transport Services (PTS), owned by Oyo State, is the best documented operator. Its last published Lagos fare was ₦5,000 from 1 February 2025. It launched at ₦3,200 in December 2024. Lagos boarding points reported at launch were Ojota and the Ikeja BRT station, with arrival at the PTS terminal at T.C.T.C. Eleyele in Ibadan.
- Private parks were reported at about ₦7,000 to ₦8,000 at the time of that launch. They run later and more often.
Confirm three things before you pay: the full fare for your date, the Lagos park, and the exact drop-off in Ibadan. A ticket that drops you at Iwo Road when you are going to Eleyele is not cheap. Read the current Lagos to Ibadan bus price guide for dated fares, or the Pacesetter guide for terminals and contacts. For coach operators, see GIGM fares and terminals.
Driving yourself or hiring a car
If you drive, leave before 6am or after 8pm. The expressway is the single biggest variable on this route, and roadworks can turn two hours into five. Our Lagos road trip times guide gives realistic windows by route.
Two safety habits matter. Keep your doors locked in slow traffic, and avoid night driving on the stretch past Sagamu if you are not familiar with it. Our notes on traffic robbery reports explain the pattern and the precautions.
If you hire a car with a driver, agree the fare, the fuel arrangement and the waiting time in writing before you leave. Airport pickups from Alakia are usually quoted separately from city runs.
Getting onward from Ibadan
Ibadan is large, and your arrival point rarely matches your destination. Plan the last leg before you travel.
- From Alakia (airport): 30 to 60 minutes to Bodija, Dugbe, Challenge or Ring Road, depending on traffic.
- From Moniya (train): taxi or bus into the city, then a second leg if you are heading to Eleyele or Apata.
- From Eleyele (Pacesetter bus): central for Eleyele, Jericho and the Secretariat.
- From Iwo Road (private parks): good for onward buses to Ife, Ilesa, Akure and Abuja.
Heading further out? Our guides to transport from Lagos to other states and the Lagos to Abeokuta fare and route cover the connections.
Who should even consider flying
Fly if you land in Ibadan and connect onward to Abuja, or if you carry hand luggage only and someone else is paying. Do not fly if you are price sensitive, if you have two suitcases, or if your meeting starts within four hours of your Lagos departure time.
If you need help building a multi-leg trip, a good agency can save you a day of phone calls. Compare options in our Lagos travel agency guide.
Insurance, delays and cover
Domestic air travel is not automatically covered by every travel policy. Before you pay for a ticket on a route with no published schedule, ask your insurer two questions. Does the policy cover domestic flights within Nigeria, and what happens if the airline cancels and rebooks you a day later?
Also check what the airline itself offers for delay and cancellation, and keep the written terms. A screenshot of a fare is not a contract.
Luggage, and sending items instead
If you only need to move documents or a parcel, you may not need to travel at all. Couriers cover this corridor daily. Compare services and prices in our Lagos to Ibadan delivery guide.
If you do fly, weigh your bag at home. Excess baggage on a short sector can cost more than the ticket.
Travelling with reduced mobility or young children
Ask the airline for assistance when you book, not at the airport. Nigerian carriers and FAAN both run assistance processes, and notice in advance is what makes them work. Our guide to requesting mobility assistance on flights from Lagos walks through the request.
For a very early departure, an airport hotel is cheaper than a missed flight. See hotels near Lagos airport.
Before you pay: the checklist
- Route confirmed on the airline’s own site, for your exact date
- Terminal confirmed, MMA2 or GAT
- Total fare confirmed, including taxes and luggage
- Change and refund rules read and saved
- Ibadan arrival point confirmed, with a transfer plan
- Booking line or account verified through an official channel
- Fallback train or bus option noted, in case the flight is pulled
That fallback matters more here than on most routes. Keep the NRC timetable open while you decide, and treat a route with no published schedule as a plan B until it proves otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
Are there direct flights from Lagos to Ibadan? No airline currently confirms a bookable direct flight on its own site. Overland Airways appears on third party trackers as flight OF1190, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but that is a listing, not a ticket. Confirm with the airline before paying.
Does Ibadan Airport have scheduled flights? Yes. Ibadan Airport (IBA) at Alakia is open and handling scheduled flights, mainly to and from Abuja with Air Peace. Reports say it reopened to scheduled service in December 2025.
How much does the train cost from Lagos to Ibadan? NRC publishes ₦3,600 for a regular adult seat, ₦6,500 for business and ₦13,000 for first class. One NRC fare column also shows ₦3,000 regular, so confirm the class price when you buy.
How long does the train take? Scheduled Lagos to Ibadan journey times run from 2h 21m to 3h 03m, depending on the service. Departures are 08:00 and 16:00 Sunday to Thursday, with 07:15 and 13:40 added on Friday and Saturday.
How much is a bus from Lagos to Ibadan? Pacesetter’s last published fare was ₦5,000 from 1 February 2025. Private parks were reported at about ₦7,000 to ₦8,000. Fares change with fuel costs and season, so confirm on the day.
How far is Ibadan from Lagos? About 133 km by road on the Lagos to Ibadan Expressway. Driving takes roughly 1.5 to 3 hours, and longer when traffic or roadworks intervene.
Should I book a flight anyway? Only after the airline confirms the date, terminal and total fare in writing. On this route, keep a train or bus fallback ready.
The bottom line
A Lagos to Ibadan flight is listed, not confirmed. Until an airline publishes the route with a fare, the honest answer for most travellers is the train. It costs ₦3,600, takes about two and a half hours, and leaves on time.
If you need to fly, verify everything in writing and plan the transfers at both ends. Those two rides decide whether the trip works.
Sources and where to verify
Route status and fares move, so check the primary source for your travel date.
- FAAN local airports directory for the official list of domestic airports.
- Overland Airways for its published schedule and booking desk.
- Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for airline licensing and consumer complaints.
- NRC fares and NRC train schedules for current rail prices and times.
- BusinessDay, August 2023 for the origin of the ₦6,500 Ibadan to Lagos figure.
- Premium Times for the Ibadan Airport terminal and reopening reports.
- Pacesetter Transport Services for Oyo State bus routes and terminals.
