Domestic airline operations in Nigeria recorded 765 delayed flights between July and September 2025, according to data released by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The figure represents 22.95 per cent of the 17,731 flights operated by local airlines across 26 domestic airports during the third quarter of the year. The data, contained in the NCAA’s Summary of Airline Flight Performance, also showed that 80 flights were cancelled within the period, accounting for 0.12 per cent of total operations.
A breakdown of the report indicated that Air Peace recorded the highest proportion of delayed flights in the quarter, with 6.87 per cent of its operations affected. This was followed by Max Air at 3.75 per cent, United Nigeria at 3.42 per cent, Rano Air at 1.74 per cent, XE Jet at 1.62 per cent and Ibom Air at 1.23 per cent.
Other airlines with reported delays included Aero Contractors (1.20 per cent), Arik Air (0.96 per cent), ValueJet (0.93 per cent), Overland (0.45 per cent), NG Eagle (0.39 per cent), Umza Air (0.24 per cent) and Green Africa (0.15 per cent).
On flight cancellations, United Nigeria topped the list with 0.63 per cent of its total flights cancelled, followed by Max Air at 0.42 per cent. Aero Contractors and Arik Air, both under the receivership of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), were joint third with 0.30 per cent each.
Green Africa recorded a cancellation rate of 0.27 per cent, while Ibom Air and Air Peace had 0.12 per cent and 0.09 per cent respectively. NG Eagle, Overland, Rano Air and ValueJet each recorded 0.03 per cent cancellations. Umza Air, which began operations in November, recorded no flight cancellations during the period.
A comparison with the third quarter of 2024 shows a modest improvement in airline performance. In Q3 2024, a total of 15,898 flights were operated, with 251 cancellations, representing a cancellation rate of 1.58 per cent. During the same period, 843 flights were delayed, accounting for 25.29 per cent of total operations.
The 2024 data also showed that Arik Air and Air Peace recorded the highest cancellation rates at 1.70 per cent each, while Air Peace led delayed flights with 8.07 per cent of its operations affected.
Industry observers say the latest figures suggest gradual improvements in service delivery, even as flight delays remain a major concern for domestic air travellers.
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