FAAN says Nigeria air passengers reached 18.8 million in 2025, an 11.9 per cent rise that placed the country fourth in Africa

Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and Vice President of Airports Council International Africa, said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, that Nigeria air passengers totalled more than 18.8 million in 2025, domestic and international combined, placing the country fourth in Africa.

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She gave the figure in her welcome address at the ACI Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Abuja.

The total was 11.9 per cent higher than the previous year.

“Our aviation market now ranks as the fourth-largest in Africa, with over 18.8m domestic and international passengers recorded in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 11.9 per cent,” she said.

The conference theme is “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.” Mrs Olubunmi Kuku called that more than a slogan.

“This gathering of minds, this convergence of vision, could not have come at a more consequential moment for African aviation. The theme before us is not merely a conference title. It is a strategic mandate. It is a call to action.”

She pointed to International Air Transport Association figures for July 2026. African airlines’ international passenger demand rose 6.4 per cent year on year, while global international demand fell 0.1 per cent.

Overall passenger demand in Africa rose 5.2 per cent, second only to Latin America and the Caribbean.

“This is not a marginal improvement. This continent is on the move,” she told delegates.

Nigeria, she said, is part of that movement. Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos recorded the fastest growth in scheduled seat capacity among Africa’s 10 largest airports in September, up 24.1 per cent.

Nigeria’s total scheduled capacity for September 2026 was 1.19 million seats, 37.4 per cent higher than a year earlier.

She linked the expansion to currency reforms, new aircraft leasing and renewed airline interest.

Several carriers had resumed flights since the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development took office, she said, with more expected.

“These figures are not abstract. They represent millions of Africans connecting with family, doing business, accessing healthcare, and exploring opportunities.”

She also warned against reading growth as a finished job. Africa has about 18 per cent of the world’s people and about 1 per cent of global air traffic. Money, infrastructure, high costs, weak connections and the tension between cheap charges and modern airports remain.

“In Nigeria alone, with a population exceeding 220m, we record approximately 19.5m passengers annually across 28 airports. The potential is vast, but the gap between where we are and where we could be remains substantial.”

FAAN, she said, had kept work on safety, capacity and basic infrastructure, including a major runway rehabilitation at Lagos, terminal upgrades and airfield lighting, while flights continued.

Digital check-in, automated e-passport gates, security systems and passenger data tools were being added.

The authority received ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certification in January 2026. More than 3,500 FAAN staff have been trained and certified through ICAO and ACI programmes.

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The 18.8 million journeys in 2025 are the headline. The unfinished business, in her account, is how far that number still sits below what a country of more than 220 million could move.