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Global air travel intelligence provider, Official Airline Guide (OAG) has said that Nigeria emerged Africa’s fastest-growing aviation market, with scheduled airline seat capacity increasing to 1.22 million seats in August 2026.
According to OAG’s latest data, the country added roughly 330,700 scheduled seats compared to August 2025, a growth rate that outpaced every other market among Africa’s top 10. The Scheduled Capacity Data for August 2026 shows Nigeria’s total scheduled seats rose from 893,700 in 2025 to 1,224,400 with domestic travel driving much of the increase and domestic seat capacity surging to 907,600 seats compared to the same period last year.
Across the continent, total scheduled airline seat capacity reached 27.3 million seats in August 2026, up 8.4 percent year-on-year. International routes accounted for 21.5 million of those seats, while domestic services contributed 5.8 million seats, an 11 percent rise from the prior year.
Egypt held onto its position as Africa’s largest airline market by volume, with 3.2 million scheduled seats, with South Africa following with 2.34 million seats, and Morocco with 2.21 million. South Africa also remained Africa’s largest domestic aviation market, with 1.6 million scheduled seats.
Analysts say the two main factors behind Nigeria’s rapid capacity growth are the domestication of the Cape Town Convention which made international aircraft lessors more willing to place dry-lease aircraft with Nigerian carriers and also the fact that domestic airlines have been actively expanding their fleets and increasing flight frequencies to meet rising domestic and regional travel demand.
Ethiopian Airlines retained its position as Africa’s largest carrier by seat capacity, with 2.19 million seats, while South Africa’s Safair ranked second with 984,700 seats and EgyptAir came third with 922,600 seats. Royal Air Maroc came in fourth with 868,100 seats, and Air Algérie recorded the fastest growth among the top 10 operators, at 16.8 percent, to take fifth place.
Meanwhile, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos recorded the strongest growth among Africa’s 10 busiest airports, with scheduled seat capacity up 25.6 percent year-on-year. Cairo International Airport remained the continent’s busiest overall, with 1.85 million scheduled seats, followed by Addis Ababa with 1.25 million and Johannesburg with 1.15 million.
Nigeria’s capacity growth has been driven largely by the fleet expansion of two of its largest carriers, Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, both of which have added aircraft steadily throughout 2026.
Through the first half of 2026, Air Peace has taken delivery of additional Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft, including one registered 5N-CGD, configured with 189 seats, to boost domestic and regional capacity, while United Nigeria Airlines which began operations in February 2021 has also expanded its fleet. In June, it took delivery of two Boeing 737-800NG named after the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and the late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe.
