Did you know that over 25 million Nigerians booked flights online last year? As mobile adoption continues to rise and digital travel habits become the norm, flight booking apps are quickly replacing traditional travel agents. For Nigerian entrepreneurs and businesses in the travel space, building a flight booking app isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a strategic move that meets growing demand and unlocks new revenue streams.
But before jumping in, you’re probably wondering: how much does it cost to build a flight booking app in Nigeria?
The answer depends on a range of factors, from the features you include to the technologies you use. Let’s break it down.
Understanding the Basics
A flight booking app allows users to search for flights, compare prices, book seats, and make payments — all from their phone. Some also allow for itinerary management, ticket downloads, notifications, and integration with loyalty programs. The more features you include, the higher the cost of development.
In Nigeria, the market is ripe for innovation. While global players like Expedia and Booking.com dominate internationally, there’s a real need for localized solutions that support Nigerian cards, offer Naira pricing, and integrate with regional airlines.
What Affects the Cost?
There isn’t a fixed price tag for building a flight booking app, but several core factors will influence the overall investment:
1. App Features and Functionality
The most basic version of a flight booking app will include user registration, flight search, booking capability, and a secure payment gateway. However, if you want to add advanced features like real-time flight tracking, multi-language support, AI-powered search, and in-app chat support, the cost will increase accordingly.
2. Design and User Experience
In today’s competitive market, design isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s about usability. A well-designed user interface can make or break a travel app. Expect to invest more if you want a clean, modern design that keeps users engaged and converts searches into sales.
3. Platform Choices
Will your app run on Android, iOS, or both? Most Nigerian users are on Android, but building for both platforms gives you wider reach. Using cross-platform technologies like Flutter can help reduce cost and development time while maintaining a native feel.
4. Backend Infrastructure
Flight booking apps rely heavily on a robust backend to manage bookings, store user data, and communicate with airline APIs. If you plan to connect with platforms like Amadeus or Sabre for flight data, there will be additional API integration and subscription costs to consider.
5. Payment Gateway Integration
Integrating local payment gateways like Paystack, Flutterwave, or Remita is essential for the Nigerian market. These services may also have transaction fees, but they offer convenience and trust for your users.
So, What’s the Estimated Cost?
To build a basic but functional flight booking app in Nigeria, you should budget between five million and seven million Naira. This would cover core features like flight search, user login, payment processing, and a simple admin dashboard.
If you’re aiming for a more robust, feature-rich solution — one that supports multiple airlines, real-time updates, promotions, loyalty programs, and sleek custom design — expect to invest between ten million and fifteen million Naira or more.
These costs typically cover the end-to-end development process: project planning, design, development, testing, deployment, and initial support.
What About Ongoing Expenses?
Launching your app is just the beginning. You’ll also need to consider ongoing costs like server hosting, regular maintenance, updates, customer support tools, and digital marketing to attract users. These monthly costs can range from one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand Naira depending on the scale of your operations.
Why Build Local?
Many Nigerian users want apps that understand their realities — local banks, Naira pricing, familiar customer support, and simple UI. Building locally with an experienced Nigerian development agency like Appfur gives you that edge. We understand the market, the tech, and the expectations of your users.
Let’s Build It Right
At Appfur, we specialize in helping travel startups and established businesses launch high-performance mobile apps that are optimized for African users. From ideation to launch, we handle everything with precision, creativity, and speed.
If you’re ready to build a flight booking app that competes on a global level — but feels right at home in Nigeria — we’re here to make it happen.
Contact Appfur today for a free consultation and let’s bring your travel tech vision to life.
We design and build high-quality, scalable mobile apps tailored to your needs.
Let’s talk! Message us on WhatsApp now: Click Here
Your next big app starts here!
