Nurud Travels

Best Time to Fly London to Lagos

The London to Lagos route is one of the busiest and most price-swinging routes in Europe-to-Africa travel. Timing is everything: fly right and you can save hundreds; fly at the wrong week and you will pay peak prices for a half-empty cabin.

The cheapest months to fly

In general, January to March offer the lowest fares, driven by the post-Christmas lull. May, September and October (shoulder seasons) are also good value. The most expensive windows are mid-July to September (children's summer holidays and "Detty December"), the December diaspora rush, and Easter when travellers combine holidays with family visits.

Lagos has two rainy seasons — April–July and October–November — but these rarely disrupt travellers and their impact on price is minimal compared with school holidays.

How far in advance should you book?

For this route, the sweet spot is generally 6–10 weeks before departure for standard travel, and 3–6 months ahead during peak seasons like December and August. Great deals do appear in the final fortnight, but they are rare on Lagos flights because demand is consistently strong from UK-based Nigerians.

Mid-week departures (Tuesday–Thursday) are consistently cheaper than Friday–Sunday, and overnight outbound flights often undercut daytime departures.

City-by-city guidance

The same principles apply to London to Abuja and Manchester to Lagos, though Abuja has fewer direct carriers so its fare floors move less. If you are flexible, compare all three departure points — Manchester flights to Lagos can undercut London by a meaningful margin in shoulder season.

Quick-fire tips