Nigeria’s scheduled domestic capacity hits 1 million seats for first time in 2026
Nigeria’s scheduled domestic capacity increased by 54.6% year-on-year to 1 million seats in October 2026, marking the first time the country has reached the 1 million-seat milestone in 2026.
This is according to OAG Africa’s Aviation Market Monthly Airline Data Updates for the African market for October 2026.
Nigeria added 362,600 domestic seats during the month, recording the fastest growth rate among Africa’s major domestic aviation markets as airlines continued to expand scheduled capacity on domestic routes.
Across Africa, total scheduled airline capacity increased by 8.8% year-on-year to 26.6 million seats in October, with international capacity accounting for 77% of the total and domestic capacity increasing by 11.9%
Nigeria hits 1 million domestic seats
South Africa remained Africa’s largest domestic aviation market in October 2026, with 1.6 million scheduled seats, although its capacity declined by 1.6% compared with October 2025. Nigeria ranked second with 1 million scheduled domestic seats and recorded the strongest year-on-year growth among the continent’s largest domestic markets.
“South Africa continues to be the largest Domestic market in Africa, with 1.6m seats this month.”
“Domestic capacity increased by 54.6% in Nigeria to 1m seats in October 26 (362,600 additional seats),” the report read in part.
Kenya ranked third with 450,000 scheduled domestic seats, representing an 8.3% increase from October 2025, while Tanzania followed with 430,000 seats, up 9.2% year-on-year.
Ethiopia recorded 420,000 scheduled domestic seats, representing 7.3% growth, while Algeria also recorded 420,000 seats after increasing its capacity by 19.9% compared with a year earlier.
Egypt had 420,000 scheduled domestic seats in October, up 4.1% year-on-year, while Morocco recorded 280,000 seats, representing a 3.1% increase. The Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 140,000 seats, with capacity rising 40.7% year-on-year, while Ghana ranked tenth with 90,000 seats, up 5.9%.
Nigeria leads Africa’s capacity growth
When domestic and international scheduled capacity are combined, Egypt ranked first among Africa’s country markets in October 2026 with 3.22 million seats, followed by South Africa with 2.44 million and Morocco with 2.18 million scheduled seats. Nigeria ranked fifth with 1.35 million seats, representing a 44.5% increase from the 932,300 seats recorded in October 2025.
Nigeria added 414,900 scheduled seats during the period, the largest increase among Africa’s 10 biggest country markets.
Egypt followed with an additional 282,800 seats, while Morocco added 216,900 seats.
Algeria ranked sixth with 1.06 million scheduled seats, up 9.1% year-on-year, while Kenya ranked seventh with 921,800 seats, representing a 7.8% increase.
Tunisia ranked eighth with 720,600 scheduled seats, up 6.9%, followed by Tanzania in ninth place with 707,700 seats, representing an 8.2% increase.
Ghana ranked tenth with 308,300 scheduled seats, up 11.6% year-on-year. Overall, all 10 of Africa’s largest country markets added scheduled seat capacity in October 2026 compared with the same month in 2025, with Nigeria recording the largest increase in absolute terms and the fastest growth rate among the group.
Domestic growth adds pressure on airports
Nigeria’s expansion in scheduled domestic seats means more aircraft and flight movements are being accommodated within an aviation system already facing congestion and delays.
OAG data shows that Nigeria added 362,600 scheduled domestic seats in October 2026, taking monthly capacity to 1 million seats, while South Africa remained Africa’s largest domestic market with 1.6 million seats.
Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited is considering a coordinated slot system at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MM2) in Lagos to reduce congestion and delays during peak departure periods. Its Chief Operating Officer, Remi Jibodu, said several airlines schedule flights around the same time, particularly in the morning, putting pressure on airport facilities and operations.
The proposal comes amid persistent flight disruptions, with Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority data showing that 4,765 of 7,961 domestic flights operated by 15 airlines in August 2026 were delayed, while 36 were cancelled. Of the delayed flights, 642 were delayed by at least two hours, including 235 delayed by three hours or more.
Other industry operators have also cited congestion, infrastructure limitations, technical issues and weather as contributors to delays.
United Nigeria Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Adedayo Olawuyi, said congestion can prevent aircraft from taking off even when airlines are ready, while ValueJet’s Chief Commercial Officer, Trevor Henry, said congestion can occur at check-in areas, boarding lounges, security points and during taxiing. Olawuyi also called for delay data to distinguish between disruptions within airlines’ control and those caused by airports, weather or other external factors.
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