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

In September 2026, Nigeria's airline seat capacity grew by 322,800 seats, bringing its total to 1.19 million. This marked the second-largest increase among Africa's top 10 aviation markets, according to OAG African Market data. Only Egypt added more seats during the month, reaching a total of 3.08 million seats. Nigeria's capacity surged 37.4% from 864,100 seats in September 2025, making it the fastest-growing market among the 10 leading African country markets.

Currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement, and growing airline confidence were cited as key drivers behind the expansion. Egypt recorded the largest absolute increase, adding 364,800 seats, followed by Nigeria's 322,800 seats. Morocco, South Africa, and Ethiopia also saw notable increases, adding 188,000, 151,200, and 83,500 seats respectively, while Tanzania added 77,100 seats.

Algeria, Ghana, and Tunisia reported smaller increases, bringing their total capacities to 1.05 million, 302,100, and 789,800 seats respectively. While Egypt led the pack with a 13.4% increase, Nigeria surpassed the others with a 37.4% increase, significantly outpacing the other markets. In total, Africa saw a 9.4% rise in scheduled airline capacity to 25.8 million seats in September, with international capacity accounting for 78% of the total and growing 8.9%.

Domestic capacity grew 11.6%. Nigeria's capacity slipped slightly from 1.22 million seats in August to 1.19 million in September, but it still recorded the strongest year-on-year growth among Africa's top aviation markets. Nigeria's flagship airline, Air Peace, also experienced a surge in capacity, with its seat capacity increasing 54.7% year-on-year to 354,804 seats, propelling the airline back into the continent's top 10.