Experts Question FAAN's Growth Claims in Nigerian Aviation

Aviation experts in Nigeria have criticized the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for claiming significant growth based on the 18.8 million passenger movements recorded in 2025. Mrs Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, Managing Director of FAAN, stated that Nigeria's aviation market is now the fourth-largest in Africa, with an 11.9% year-on-year increase.

However, Capt. John Ojikutu, Managing Director of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult and former Commandant of Murtala Muhammed Airport, argued that the figure should be contextualized against major African aviation hubs like Cairo, Johannesburg, Casablanca, and Addis Ababa. He noted that the 18.8 million passengers were recorded across 23 federal airports, not a single airport, and emphasized that O.R.

Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg historically surpasses Nigeria's total passenger traffic. Ojikutu urged FAAN to provide comparative data with other African airports and assess the latest figures against pre-pandemic traffic, recalling that Nigeria recorded the same passenger movements in 2019.