Nigeria’s aviation market recorded significant growth in 2025, with passenger traffic rising to more than 18.8 million domestic and international travellers, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
FAAN Managing Director and Chief Executive, Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, disclosed this at the opening of the Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Abuja, saying the growth has strengthened Nigeria’s position as the fourth-largest aviation market in Africa.
Passenger traffic increased by 11.9 per cent year-on-year in 2025, while scheduled airline capacity continued to expand into 2026. Data from OAG showed that Nigeria recorded 1.19 million scheduled seats in September 2026, representing a 37.4 per cent increase compared with the same month in 2025.
Onabanjo-Kuku said the increase was the fastest among Africa’s 10 largest aviation markets, attributing the growth to currency reforms, new aircraft leasing arrangements and renewed confidence among international airlines operating in the country.
“Several airlines have resumed operations in Nigeria since the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development assumed office, with more expected to return,” she said.
Lagos has remained a major driver of the expansion, with scheduled seat capacity at Murtala Muhammed International Airport increasing by 24.1 per cent in September, the fastest growth recorded among Africa’s 10 largest airports.
Onabanjo-Kuku also pointed to wider growth across the African aviation market, citing International Air Transport Association data showing that international passenger demand for African airlines increased by 6.4 per cent year-on-year in July 2026, while global international demand declined by 0.1 per cent.
Overall passenger demand in Africa grew by 5.2 per cent during the period, compared with global growth of 0.2 per cent.
Despite the positive figures, the FAAN chief said Africa continued to account for only about one per cent of global air traffic despite representing 18 per cent of the world’s population. She also noted that passenger load factors remained below global averages and that the financial sustainability of African airlines remained a concern.
With a population of more than 220 million people and approximately 19.5 million annual passengers across 28 airports, she said Nigeria still had considerable room for further aviation growth.
Onabanjo-Kuku identified funding constraints, infrastructure deficits, high operating costs and fragmented connectivity among the challenges facing African airports. She also stressed the need to balance affordable airport charges with investment in modern infrastructure and services.
She said airport resilience would require more than physical infrastructure, pointing to predictive maintenance, reliable power, digital operational systems and data analytics as increasingly important to airport performance.
According to her, operational resilience should also be built into airport management through redundancy, agility, effective communication and faster responses to disruptions.
She further highlighted human capital as a critical component of the sector’s development, arguing that continuous training and a competent workforce would be essential as airport systems and technology become increasingly complex.
On FAAN’s own transformation programme since 2023, Onabanjo-Kuku cited runway rehabilitation at MMIA, terminal upgrades, improved airfield lighting and the establishment of a Passenger Experience Hub aimed at improving passenger processing, comfort and assistance.
She also called for stronger partnerships between government, private investors, airlines, technology companies, logistics operators and development finance institutions to meet the scale of investment required to support the next phase of African aviation growth.
