By Desire Uzochukwu
Nigeria’s aviation market has become the fourth-largest in Africa, with more than 18.8 million domestic and international passengers recorded in 2025, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has said.
FAAN also disclosed that Nigeria’s passenger traffic grew by 11.9 per cent year-on-year in 2025, while the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, recorded a 24.1 per cent increase in scheduled seat capacity in September, the fastest growth among Africa’s 10 largest airports.
Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, disclosed this at the 2026 Airports Council International, ACI, Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, themed, “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.”
Onabanjo-Kuku said Nigeria’s aviation sector was benefiting from growing passenger demand, currency reforms, new aircraft leasing arrangements and increased confidence among international airlines.
According to her, data from OAG showed that Nigeria’s total scheduled airline capacity for September 2026 reached 1.19 million seats, representing a 37.4 per cent increase over the same period in 2025.
She described the growth as the fastest among Africa’s 10 largest aviation markets.
The FAAN boss said: “Our aviation market now ranks as the fourth-largest in Africa, with over 18.8 million domestic and international passengers recorded in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 11.9 per cent.
“The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, whose oldest terminal is being rehabilitated and upgraded as we speak, recorded the fastest growth in scheduled seat capacity among Africa’s ten largest airports in September, with a remarkable 24.1 per cent increase.”
She said the growth in Nigeria’s aviation market had coincided with broader expansion in African air travel.
“According to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association, IATA, African airlines recorded a 6.4 per cent year-on-year increase in international passenger demand in July 2026,” she said.
Onabanjo-Kuku said Africa’s overall passenger demand grew by 5.2 per cent during the period, compared with a global average of 0.2 per cent.
She, however, warned that the continent’s aviation industry still faced significant structural challenges, noting that Africa accounted for only about one per cent of global air traffic despite having 18 per cent of the world’s population.
She identified funding constraints, infrastructure gaps, high operating costs, fragmented connectivity and pressure to keep charges low while maintaining quality facilities as major challenges.
“In Nigeria alone, with a population exceeding 220 million, we record approximately 19.5 million passengers annually across 28 airports. The potential is vast, but the gap between where we are and where we could be remains substantial,” she said.
Onabanjo-Kuku said FAAN had since 2023 embarked on a transformation programme focused on infrastructure modernisation, safety and capacity expansion.
She said the authority had rehabilitated a major runway at the MMIA, upgraded terminals and improved airfield lighting while maintaining airport operations.
Looking ahead, the FAAN managing director identified five priorities for the next generation of African airports: financial sustainability, intelligent infrastructure, operational resilience, human capital development and strategic partnerships.
She called for diversification of airport revenues beyond aeronautical charges, saying airports should evolve into commercial ecosystems supporting logistics, hospitality, retail, data-driven services and airport-city development.
She also advocated investment in predictive maintenance, reliable power, digital operational systems and data analytics to improve airport efficiency.
On operational resilience, she said airports must develop the capacity to respond quickly to disruptions through stronger systems, communication and organisational preparedness.
She stressed that human capital remained critical to the sustainability of airport infrastructure and technology.
“We must build a culture of continuous learning and develop aviation professionals who can manage the increasingly complex airport ecosystem,” she said.
On partnerships, Onabanjo-Kuku said government resources alone could not meet the scale of investment and expertise required to transform African airports.
She called for commercially viable partnerships among governments, private investors, airlines, technology providers, logistics companies and development finance institutions.
