Nigeria's Airline Capacity Grows 37.4% in September 2026

In September 2026, Nigeria added 322,800 scheduled airline seats, bringing its total capacity to 1.19 million seats, which is the second-highest increase among Africa's top 10 aviation markets, according to OAG African Market data. Egypt led with an increase of 364,800 seats, while Nigeria recorded the fastest growth rate at 37.4% compared to September 2025, when it had 864,100 seats.

This growth was attributed to currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement, and increased airline confidence. Nigeria ranked among Africa's five largest aviation markets, following Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, and Ethiopia.

Despite a slight decline from 1.22 million seats in August, Nigeria maintained the strongest year-on-year growth. Air Peace, Nigeria's largest airline, experienced a 54.7% increase in scheduled seat capacity, totaling 354,804 seats, allowing it to return to the continent's top 10 airlines by capacity.