The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said that passenger figure for domestic and international segments in 2025 increased to 18.8 million.

The figure, however, contradicts the 15 million passengers given for domestic and international passengers for the same period in April 2026.

The latest figure, presented by the Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku, at the ongoing Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, puts Nigeria’s combined domestic and international passenger traffic at over 18.8 million in 2025, representing an 11.9 per cent year-on-year increase.

However, at the ACI Africa conference in Luanda, Angola, in April, Kuku disclosed that Nigeria had become Africa’s second-largest domestic passenger market, with more than 10.5 million domestic passengers in 2025, representing 10 per cent growth.

The new Abuja presentation, however, stated that Nigeria handled more than 18.8 million passengers when domestic and international traffic are combined.

In her welcome address at the ACI Africa conference in Abuja, Kuku said Nigeria’s aviation market had become the fourth-largest in Africa, with more than 18.8 million domestic and international passengers recorded in 2025.

She said this represented an 11.9 per cent increase over the previous year.

Kuku also said that Nigeria had a population of more than 220 million with 28 airports across the country.

She said: “Nigeria, my home and the host nation for this conference, is proud to be at the forefront of this growth story.

“Our aviation market now ranks as the fourth-largest in Africa, with over 18.8 million domestic and international passengers recorded in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 11.9 per cent.

“The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos—whose oldest terminal is being rehabilitated and upgraded as we speak—recorded the fastest growth in scheduled seat capacity among Africa’s 10 largest airports in September, with a remarkable 24.1 per cent increase.”

Kuku further stated that while global demand declined by 0.1 per cent in 2025, Africa recorded growth in traffic.

According to her, overall passenger demand grew by 5.2 per cent in Africa, second only to Latin America and the Caribbean, and substantially ahead of the global average of 0.2 per cent.