Over 16 million travelers flew in and out of Nigeria between January and December 2022. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority released an executive summary showing the total number of flights.
Thirty-seven airlines operated flights through Nigeria last, with 26 airlines operating 13,003 flights on international routes and 11 airlines operating 80,328 on domestic ones. Although more international airlines were traveling to this famous destination, more passengers traveled domestically and regionally.
There were also 732 complaints filed, but the Nigerian CAA said, "...most of the cases were resolved after follow-up and additional backlog from previous months."
Check out more African aviation news here
International airlines
Nigeria has five functional international airports, with Murtala Muhammed International Airport being the busiest. Many international airlines increased the number of passengers they carried to and from Nigeria in 2022 compared to the previous year. Inbound passengers were 1,648,255, while outbound passengers amounted to 1,855,467.
Africa World Airlines, the Ghanaian carrier, operated 1,367 flights through Nigeria which was the most by any African carrier. It had 21% of its flights delayed, but none were canceled. Air Peace, Nigeria's leading airline, operated the most international flights for any Nigerian carrier, while Qatar Airways had the highest number of flights for non-African airlines.
Air Peace operated 1,258 flights, with 532 of them delayed and none of them canceled. It carried 115,410 passengers in the process, while Azman Air, another Nigerian carrier, only operated one flight, carrying 209 passengers.
Passenger traffic
Regarding passenger traffic, Ethiopian Airlines flew the most passengers to and from the West-African nation. Over 400,000 passengers traveled to Nigeria on Ethiopian. British Airways was second, carrying 273,138 travelers on 616 flights. In contrast, Emirates flew the most passengers on the least number of flights, flying 177,140 travelers on only 365 flights.
Nearly 5,000 flights were either delayed or canceled on international routes, and a total of 48,234 baggage items were declared either missing or delayed. Egypt Air was one of the leading African carriers to fly to Nigeria from its hub in Cairo and many other airports. It operated 706 flights, but half were delayed, while none were canceled.
Delta Air Lines flew in and out of Nigeria 407 times, with 111 delayed flights and ten canceled. KLM had the highest number of missing baggage, with 5,622 pieces reported missing or delayed, although 5,244 items were subsequently found. Air France and Delta were second and third, with a total of 9,822 baggage items lost, although 90% of it was recovered successfully. Emirates handled passenger baggage nearly perfectly, as only 174 items went missing, with 172 later found.
Most international flights departed and arrived in Nigeria during April, July, and August, but Africa World, the most scheduled airline, had its highest number of flights in December. Not surprisingly, the highest traffic at Nigerian airports was in December, with 347,497 passengers. However, Ethiopian, the leading carrier, flew its highest number of passengers in September.
February had the least traffic on international routes, with 226,669 passengers. In total, 2022 recorded over 1 million more passengers compared to the previous year and over 7 million compared to 2020, when air travel was at its lowest.
Domestic flights
Although 15 more international airlines were flying to and from Nigeria, more passengers traveled in and around the country during the period in question. From 11 airlines, 80,328 flights operated on domestic routes, with over 12 million passengers leaving and departing Nigerian airports.
Arik Air operated 9,759 flights and carried the most passengers, with a staggering 1,741,425 people flying Arik. With this tremendous operating schedule, 60% of its flights were delayed, while 3% were canceled. 58% of all total domestic flights were delayed. Value Jet had the lowest percentage of delayed flights, with 26% departing and arriving at their destinations late. Ibom Air had 32% of flights delayed which was lower than the other nine carriers.
Despite the delays, the majority of the country's domestic flights were successful, as the average percentage of canceled flights was only about 1%. Overland Airways and Ibom Air had the highest success rate, as none of their flights were canceled. From all flights, only 449 pieces of luggage were reported as delayed or missing, but they were all later found, as the CAA confirmed. This was an impressive record compared to the 1,380 luggage items that went missing on international carriers.
Regarding flight schedules, most planes landed and took off in January. That month, eight thousand three hundred forty-nine flights were recorded, although Ibom, the most scheduled Airline, had its highest number of flights in March.
The highest passenger traffic was seen in December, followed by January and February. Outbound travel peaked at the beginning and end of the year as it is the time most Nigerians travel for vacation. December also saw the most inbound passengers, followed by February.
The rise of air travel in Nigeria
The 9 million rise from 2020 in the number of passengers traveling through Nigeria can be attributed to the recovery of the aviation industry from the COVID-19 pandemic. A travel expert said that since the lockdown in 2020, many people stayed back from travel because of airport protocols and travel restrictions. Due to the easing of restrictions, passengers are returning in numbers for business and leisure.
However, the number of outbound travelers rising over those flying into Nigeria is believed to be for a different reason. It is believed that the "Japa Syndrome" is the leading cause of the exodus. Japa is a term that means to leave in search of greener passengers, and according to a survey, seven out of ten Nigerians are willing to do so. Several Nigerian citizens are leaving the country for better economic well-being.
Other reasons given by travel experts for the increase in air travel were insecurity, political factors, and the increase in economic and social activities. With many businesses reopened and more social events happening around the country, many Nigerians have been pushed to travel by air.
Lastly, with elections coming up, political campaigns may have also contributed to the passenger traffic. With the new Nigeria Air getting ready to fly, passenger traffic is expected to increase even more over the coming years.
What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments!