Nigeria recorded over 18.8 million domestic and international air passengers in 2025, making it the fourth largest aviation market in Africa.
FAAN Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, disclosed this Tuesday at the ACI Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Abuja, where she spoke as Vice President of ACI Africa.
She said the figure represents an 11.9 percent year on year increase.
“Our aviation market now ranks as the fourth-largest in Africa, with over 18.8m domestic and international passengers recorded in 2025,” she said.
Kuku said the conference theme, “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience,” is a strategic mandate for African aviation.
Citing IATA data, she said African airlines recorded 6.4 percent growth in international passenger demand in July 2026, against a 0.1 percent global decline, while overall demand in Africa rose by 5.2 percent.
She said Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, recorded the fastest growth in scheduled seat capacity among Africa’s 10 largest airports in September with 24.1 percent increase, while Nigeria’s total scheduled capacity for the month stood at 1.19 million seats, up 37.4 percent.
She attributed the growth to currency reforms, new aircraft leasing arrangements and renewed confidence of international airlines, noting several carriers have resumed operations.
Despite the growth, Kuku said Africa still accounts for only about one percent of global air traffic despite having 18 percent of world population, citing funding, infrastructure deficit and high operating costs as challenges.
She said FAAN has focused on safety, capacity expansion and modernisation, including runway rehabilitation at Lagos airport, terminal upgrades and deployment of digital technologies such as automated e-gates and faster check-in systems.
FAAN achieved ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications in January 2026, she added, with over 3,500 staff trained through ICAO and ACI programmes.
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