Air Passenger Traffic in Nigeria
- Before the pandemic, there were annual increases in both local and international travel – air travel had almost hit a total of 18 million passengers.
- In 2012, the Federal Government approved contracts to remodel the Nation’s Airports – the international terminals at Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Enugu
- The Abuja airport was closed in March 2017 for 6 weeks in order to carry out repairs on the runway.
- COVID-19 impacted air travel globally leading to a decline in activity.
- Due to the pandemic, international flights were barred from March 23, 2020 to September 5 2020.
Air Passenger Traffic in Nigeria for International Travel
- Data available from FAAN show that Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports are the most active for international travel.
- Lagos Airport consistently accounts for more than 50% of monthly international flights.
- Lagos Airport’s monthly percentage reduces in the period leading to and after hajj pilgrimage.
- The most active months for all airports is during hajj pilgrimage.
- The Abuja airport was closed in March 2017 for 6 weeks in order to carry out repairs on the runway. This led to the low activity in march and April of that year.
- Since 2014, Kano overtook the Port Harcourt Airport has the 3rd most active airport for international travel.
Nigeria’s Share of Global Air Passenger Travel
- Africa accounts for the lowest traffic in international travel but also accounts for the highest percentage for business and professional trips (UNWTO).
- Nigeria’s share of international travel is less than 0.50%. According to IATA, Africa is the largest market
for passenger flows to and from Nigeria. - From 2016, this reduced to about 0.25% and the lowest recorded in 2020 due to the global impact of the pandemic.
Frequent International Destinations Booked by Nigerians
- Cities within The United States and United Kingdom are popular destinations for Nigerians.
- Within Africa, Ghana and South Africa come out top.
