In 2025, Nigeria’s domestic air passenger traffic reached 13.09 million, marking a 4.33% increase from the 12.54 million recorded in 2024. This growth underscores the rising demand for domestic air travel, even amid economic challenges.
In the domestic sphere, Nigeria ranked second on the continent in terms of airline seat capacity, behind only South Africa, with domestic seat numbers rising by 21.7% to 730,216 in June 2026.
Domestic flights accounted for nearly 73% of total passenger traffic across Nigerian airports in 2025, highlighting their central role in the country’s aviation sector. International passenger numbers also increased from approximately 4.40 million in 2024 to about 4.85 million in 2025, a growth rate of roughly 10.26%.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) reported that domestic travel dropped between 2022 and 2023 but rebounded in 2024, continuing its upward trend into 2025.
At Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, daily flight departures average between 60 and 65. The Lagos–Abuja route remains the busiest domestic corridor, driven by Abuja’s status as the nation’s capital and a major business hub. Asaba and Port Harcourt also rank among the most active routes from the terminal.
Nigeria’s position within the African aviation landscape has strengthened. In June 2026, the country’s total airline seat capacity stood at just over one million available one-way departing seats, representing a 21.3% year-on-year increase.
These figures confirm the resilience of Nigeria’s air travel demand. Despite high fares and a challenging economic environment, the appetite for air travel remains strong. As airline capacity continues to expand, the sector faces the challenge of evolving infrastructure, pricing, and competition to meet this sustained demand.
