Nigeria’s aviation sector recorded significant growth in 2025, with passenger traffic climbing to more than 18.8 million domestic and international travellers, placing the country among Africa’s largest aviation markets, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
FAAN said Nigeria’s aviation market is now the fourth-largest in Africa, with passenger traffic increasing by 11.9 per cent year-on-year in 2025.
The authority also disclosed that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, recorded a 24.1 per cent increase in scheduled seat capacity in September, making it the fastest-growing airport among Africa’s 10 largest airports during the period.
Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, disclosed the figures at the 2026 Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.
The conference, themed “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience,” brought together aviation stakeholders to examine the future of airport infrastructure, technology, operational efficiency and resilience across the continent.
Onabanjo-Kuku said the growth in Nigeria’s aviation sector formed part of a broader expansion in African air travel, with the continent recording stronger passenger demand than the global average.
She said: “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.
“Let me put that in perspective: while global international demand actually declined by 0.1 per cent during the same period, Africa was expanding. We are not just participating in global aviation recovery, we are leading it.
“And I am proud to be standing in the same room with the men and women moving Africans and their visitors safely and in comfort.”
According to the FAAN managing director, Africa’s overall passenger demand rose by 5.2 per cent, placing the continent second only to Latin America and the Caribbean and significantly above the global average of 0.2 per cent.
She described the figures as evidence of a rapidly expanding African aviation market, with Nigeria playing a prominent role.
“Our continent’s overall passenger demand grew by 5.2 per cent, second only to Latin America and the Caribbean, and substantially ahead of the global average of 0.2 per cent,” she said.
“This is not a marginal improvement. This continent is on the move. Nigeria, my home and the host nation for this conference, is proud to be at the forefront of this growth story.”
Nigeria records strong capacity growth
Onabanjo-Kuku said Nigeria’s own aviation performance reflected the wider continental trend.
“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,” she said.
She also highlighted developments at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where the oldest terminal is undergoing rehabilitation and upgrades.
“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 added.
The growth has continued into 2026, according to data cited by FAAN.
Onabanjo-Kuku said data from the Official Airline Guide (OAG) showed that Nigeria’s total scheduled airline capacity reached 1.19 million seats in September 2026, representing a 37.4 per cent increase compared with the same period in the previous year.
She described the figure as the fastest growth recorded among Africa’s top 10 aviation markets.
FAAN calls for investment beyond infrastructure
While highlighting the sector’s growth, Onabanjo-Kuku said the next stage of development would require airports to look beyond physical infrastructure and invest in the systems and capabilities needed to keep operations efficient and resilient.
She identified areas including predictive maintenance, reliable power supply, digital operational systems and data analytics as critical components of modern airport management.
“The less visible investments often deliver the greatest returns,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of operational resilience, arguing that airports must be prepared not only to respond to disruptions but to recover from them quickly.
“Resilience is not an emergency plan, it is an organisational capability,” she said.
“We must build redundancy, agility, intelligence, and communication discipline into everything we do. The objective is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to reduce the time between disruption and effective response.”
Human capital remains critical
The FAAN chief also placed emphasis on the people responsible for operating increasingly complex airport systems.
According to her, technological investment would deliver limited benefits without a skilled and adaptable workforce capable of managing new systems and responding to emerging challenges.
“Fourth, human capital. Infrastructure depreciates; technology becomes obsolete; but a competent, accountable, and continuously learning workforce multiplies every investment,” she said.
She called for a culture of continuous professional development within the aviation industry.
“We must build a culture of continuous learning and develop aviation professionals who can manage the increasingly complex airport ecosystem,” she said.
FAAN seeks stronger private-sector partnerships
Onabanjo-Kuku further identified partnerships between government and the private sector as essential to sustaining the expansion of Nigeria’s aviation industry.
She said the scale of investment, technology and expertise required to modernise airports could not be met by government resources alone.
“Government resources alone cannot meet the scale of investment, technology, and expertise required,” she said.
According to her, Nigeria must develop commercially viable partnerships involving private investors, airlines, technology providers, logistics companies and development finance institutions.
The remarks come as Nigeria’s aviation sector seeks to consolidate recent passenger and capacity growth while addressing the infrastructure, operational and human-capital demands that accompany a rapidly expanding market.
With passenger numbers rising and scheduled airline capacity recording double-digit growth, the focus is increasingly shifting from simply expanding airport capacity to ensuring that the systems, workforce and partnerships supporting the sector can keep pace with demand.