Nigeria's Aviation Market Grows, Now Fourth in Africa

Nigeria's aviation market is now the fourth largest in Africa. The country recorded over 18.8 million passenger movements, both domestic and international, in 2025. This information comes from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, FAAN's Managing Director, shared this news at the Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Abuja.

The conference took place from September 19 to 25. It gathered airport operators, aviation regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders under the theme "Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience."

Onabanjo-Kuku noted that Nigeria's aviation growth is part of a larger recovery in African air transport. But she pointed out that there are still big gaps between current traffic levels and what is possible on the continent.

She also mentioned recent growth in scheduled airline capacity in Nigeria. According to OAG, an aviation analytics firm, Nigerian airlines scheduled about 1.19 million departing seats in September 2026. This is a 37.4 percent increase from the 864,100 seats recorded in September 2025.

OAG reported that Nigeria had the fastest growth rate among Africa's ten largest country markets during this time. The data also showed that Lagos had the highest growth among Africa's ten largest airports. Scheduled capacity went up by 24.1 percent year-on-year, reaching about 470,000 seats in September.

Nigeria's domestic scheduled capacity also rose by 44.8 percent year-on-year, reaching around 877,000 seats, according to OAG. Onabanjo-Kuku linked the rise in capacity to recent changes in the aviation sector. These include currency reforms, new aircraft leasing options, and growing confidence among airlines.

She explained that the growth in Nigeria comes amid rising passenger demand across Africa. She cited figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). They showed that international passenger demand for African airlines grew by 6.4 percent year-on-year in July 2026, which is above the global trend.

"While global international demand actually declined by 0.1 percent during the same period, Africa was expanding," she said. Overall passenger demand in Africa increased by 5.2 percent during this time.

Despite this growth, Africa still makes up only about 1 percent of global air traffic. This is surprising since the continent has about 18 percent of the world's population. In Nigeria, more than 220 million people create around 19.5 million passenger movements each year across 28 airports.

"The potential is vast, but the gap between where we are and where we could be remains substantial," Onabanjo-Kuku said. She added that FAAN has started several projects to improve airport infrastructure and passenger experience since 2023.

These projects include runway repairs at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, terminal upgrades, and improvements in airfield lighting. She said these projects were done while flight operations continued.

Onabanjo-Kuku also mentioned the establishment of a Passenger Experience Hub. This includes automated e-passport gates, better check-in processes, and using passenger data analytics to enhance airport services.

In January 2026, FAAN received ISO 9001:2015 certification for quality management and ISO 14001:2015 certification for environmental management. Over 3,500 FAAN staff have been trained and certified through programs by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and ACI.

She also highlighted that FAAN has strengthened its Directorate of Cargo Development Services to boost regional trade. Despite the growth in passenger numbers and airline capacity, Onabanjo-Kuku pointed out challenges like high operating costs, poor infrastructure, and limited access to capital in African aviation.

She said these challenges need airports to be more financially stable while investing in technology, infrastructure, and human resources. Onabanjo-Kuku identified five critical areas for developing strong airport infrastructure in Africa: financial sustainability, smart infrastructure, operational resilience, human capital development, and strategic partnerships.

She called for better use of regional initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Single African Air Transport Market to support connectivity and trade. Onabanjo-Kuku urged African governments and financial institutions to set up stable and commercially viable frameworks for airport infrastructure investment.

"I call upon governments across Africa to establish predictable, long-term, and commercially disciplined frameworks for airport infrastructure investment," she said. She added that clearer mandates and more commercial freedom would help airport operators invest in infrastructure and improve services as air travel demand grows.