By TheDailyNewsHub
Nigeria’s domestic aviation sector recorded significant flight disruptions in August, with airlines delaying 4,765 flights and cancelling 36 others, according to data released by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The NCAA’s August 2026 summary of domestic airline flight operations showed that 15 carriers operated a combined 7,961 flights during the month, with 59.9 per cent of the operations affected by delays.
The figures mean that roughly six out of every 10 domestic flights operated in August did not depart or arrive within the regulator’s on-time threshold.
Air Peace recorded the highest number of delayed flights in absolute terms. The airline operated 1,864 flights during the month, of which 1,330 were delayed, representing a delay rate of 71.4 per cent. It also recorded seven cancellations.
United Nigeria Airlines recorded 943 delays from 1,231 flights, giving it a delay rate of about 76.6 per cent. The airline had the highest number of cancellations, with eight flights cancelled during the month.
Enugu Air followed with 582 delayed flights from 878 operations, while ValueJet recorded 435 delays from 767 flights. Other airlines in the NCAA summary included Aero, Ibom Air, Arik Air, Max Air, Rano Air, Overland Airways, Green Africa, Umza Air, XE Jet and Binani.
The NCAA’s breakdown also showed that most of the delays were relatively short. Some 2,801 flights were delayed between 16 minutes and one hour, while 1,322 experienced delays lasting between one and two hours.
Another 407 flights were delayed for between two and three hours, while 235 flights were delayed for three hours or more.
Air Peace accounted for 108 of the flights delayed by at least three hours, while Enugu Air recorded 46 and United Nigeria 41 in the same category.
At the other end of the spectrum, Umza Air recorded 52 delays from 403 flights and did not record any cancellation. XE Jet had 40 delays from 127 operations, while NGEagle recorded no flight operations during the period.
The latest figures come days after NCAA Director-General Chris Najomo warned airlines over persistent delays, cancellations, crew shortages and other consumer-related violations.
Najomo urged airlines to ensure that their published schedules accurately reflected the aircraft and crew available to operate them. He also stressed the importance of contingency planning and timely communication with passengers, while acknowledging that weather conditions, diversions and airport restrictions could contribute to disruptions.
The August figures highlight that delays, rather than outright cancellations, remained the dominant challenge for passengers using Nigeria’s domestic air network during the month.
For travellers, the statistics underscore the continuing need for airlines to improve schedule reliability, while the regulator faces pressure to ensure that carriers comply with passenger-protection and operational requirements.