Nigeria handled more than 18.8 million domestic and international air passengers in 2025, placing the country among Africa’s largest aviation markets as passenger traffic increased by 11.9 per cent year-on-year.
The figure was disclosed by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, at the 2026 ACI Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.
The conference, themed “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience”, brought together aviation stakeholders to discuss the continent’s airport development and growth prospects.
Onabanjo-Kuku, who is also Vice-President of Airports Council International Africa, said scheduled airline capacity in Nigeria had reached 1.19 million seats in September 2026, representing a 37.4 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
She said the growth made Nigeria the fastest-expanding major aviation market in Africa during the period, according to data from the Official Aviation Guide.
Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport recorded a 24.1 per cent increase in scheduled seat capacity in September, the highest growth among Africa’s 10 busiest aviation hubs.
Onabanjo-Kuku attributed the expansion to currency reforms, new aircraft leasing arrangements and increased interest from international airlines.
“This is driven by currency reforms, new aircraft leasing agreements, and growing confidence from international carriers looking to fly to Nigeria,” she said.
Despite the growth, she said Nigeria and the wider African aviation market continued to face significant infrastructure and financial challenges.
She noted that Africa accounts for about 18 per cent of the world’s population but generates only one per cent of global air traffic, while passenger load factors and airline financial stability remain below desired levels.
Recent figures from the International Air Transport Association also showed a 6.4 per cent year-on-year increase in international passenger demand among African airlines in July 2026, compared with a 0.1 per cent decline globally.
Overall passenger demand in Africa rose by 5.2 per cent during the month, compared with global growth of 0.2 per cent.
Onabanjo-Kuku said Nigeria’s annual traffic across its 28 airports stood at about 19.5 million passengers, highlighting what she described as a significant gap between existing traffic and the country’s potential aviation market.
She said FAAN had implemented several reforms since 2023 to improve safety, efficiency and passenger experience.
The measures include runway rehabilitation at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, terminal upgrades, improved airfield lighting and the establishment of a Passenger Experience Hub.
FAAN has also certified more than 3,500 personnel through training programmes organised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and Airports Council International.
Onabanjo-Kuku said government funding alone would not be sufficient to meet the infrastructure needs of Nigeria’s aviation sector and called for greater private-sector participation.
“Nigerian airports must become commercial ecosystems — anchors for logistics parks, hospitality, retail, data-driven services, and airport-city development,” she said.
She called for structured partnerships involving private investors, airlines, logistics companies and development finance institutions to support further expansion of the sector.
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