Nigeria adds second-highest airline seats in Africa in September, reaches 1.19 million

Nigeria added 322,800 scheduled airline seats in September 2026, taking its total capacity to 1.19 million seats and giving it the second-highest increase among Africa’s top 10 aviation markets, according to OAG African Market data.

Only Egypt added more seats during the month, with Nigeria recording the fastest rate of capacity growth among the 10 leading African country markets.

Nigeria’s scheduled capacity increased 37.4% from 864,100 seats in September 2025, as currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement and growing airline confidence supported the expansion of the market.

What the report is saying

Egypt recorded the largest increase in scheduled airline capacity, adding 364,800 seats to reach 3.08 million in September, while Nigeria followed with an additional 322,800 seats. Nigeria ranked among Africa’s five largest country markets by total scheduled capacity, behind Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Ethiopia.

OAG said Nigeria’s 37.4% year-on-year capacity growth was driven by currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement and growing confidence from airlines looking to fly to Nigeria.

• “With the Top 10 countries, capacity grew at the fastest rate again in Nigeria, with a 37.4% increase vs Sept 25 (322,800 additional seats).”
• “This is driven by currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement, and growing confidence from airlines looking to fly to Nigeria, as highlighted in OAG’s recent Africa-focused webinar,” the report read in part.

Morocco recorded the third-largest increase, adding 188,000 seats to reach 2.07 million, while South Africa added 151,200 seats to reach 2.43 million.

Ethiopia increased capacity by 83,500 seats to 1.41 million, while Tanzania added 77,100 seats to reach 733,000.

Algeria added 74,600 seats to reach 1.05 million, Ghana added 34,600 to reach 302,100, Tunisia added 24,500 to reach 789,800, while Kenya recorded the smallest increase at 6,900 seats to reach 833,100.

Nigeria records fastest growth

Although Egypt recorded the largest absolute increase, Nigeria had the fastest rate of capacity growth among the 10 markets, with its 37.4% increase significantly ahead of the other countries. Egypt followed at 13.4%, Ghana at 12.9% and Tanzania at 11.7%.

• Morocco’s capacity grew by 10%.
• Algeria and South Africa recorded increases of 7.6% and 6.6%, respectively.
• Ethiopia grew by 6.3%, while Tunisia increased by 3.2%.
• Kenya recorded the slowest growth at 0.8%.

Across Africa, total scheduled airline capacity reached 25.8 million seats in September, up 9.4% from a year earlier. International capacity accounted for 78% of the total and grew 8.9%, while domestic capacity increased 11.6%.

Get up to speed

Nigeria’s scheduled airline seat capacity declined slightly from 1.22 million seats in August to 1.19 million in September, although its year-on-year growth remained the fastest among Africa’s top aviation markets. In August, capacity had increased 37% year-on-year, adding 330,700 seats compared with August 2025.

• Domestic scheduled capacity increased 42.6% year-on-year in August to 907,600 seats, adding 271,000 seats.
• Egypt remained Africa’s largest airline market in August with 3.2 million scheduled seats, followed by South Africa with 2.34 million and Morocco with 2.21 million.
• Africa’s total scheduled capacity reached 27.3 million seats in August, up 8.4% year-on-year.

International services accounted for 21.5 million seats, or 79% of total capacity, while domestic services contributed 5.8 million seats, up 11% year-on-year.

Nigeria’s September capacity remained below the August level, but the country continued to record the strongest year-on-year growth among Africa’s leading aviation markets.

What you should know

Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, recorded the fastest capacity growth among Africa’s top 10 airlines in September, with its scheduled seat capacity rising 54.7% year-on-year to 354,804 seats. The increase helped the airline return to the continent’s top 10 by scheduled capacity after dropping out of the previous monthly ranking.

• Air Peace added 125,400 scheduled seats compared with September 2025, according to OAG African Market data.
• OAG noted that Nigeria’s capacity growth was supported by currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement and growing confidence from airlines looking to serve the country.
• The Federal Government approved the establishment of the Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company in May to improve domestic airlines’ access to aircraft.

The company will operate as a privately funded and managed Special Purpose Vehicle with strategic government backing, creating a sovereign-backed structure for aircraft leasing.

The development comes as Nigerian airlines continue to expand their available capacity, with Air Peace’s growth providing a notable example of the increase in scheduled seats recorded in the country’s aviation market.