The year 2022 saw a significant increase in passenger traffic at Nigeria’s airports, as revealed by statistics released by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The total number of passengers that passed through the country’s airports reached 16,172,433, surpassing the 15 million passenger movement in 2021, News About Nigeria reports.
The rise in passenger traffic can be attributed to several factors, including the “japa syndrome” or the determination of many Nigerians to leave the country in search of better economic opportunities abroad. This resulted in a 700,000 increase in outbound international passenger traffic in 2022, totaling 1,855,467, compared to 1,109,525 in 2021.
The same trend was seen in inbound international passenger traffic, which reached 1,648,225, a significant increase from 1,109,621 in 2021.
In the same period, domestic airlines airlifted a total of 12,668,741 passengers, made up of 6,309,664 inbound and 6,359,077 outbound passenger movements. When combined with international passenger traffic, Nigeria recorded a total of 16,172,433 passenger movement in 2022.
The data obtained from the NCAA also showed that 26 airlines carried out a total of 13,003 international operations to and from Nigeria, while 11 airlines operated 80,328 domestic flights. The report highlighted the number of delays and cancellations that took place during the year, with 4,628 delays and 82 cancellations recorded in international operations and 47,144 delays and cancellations in domestic operations.
The airline with the highest number of delays on the domestic scene was Overland Airways, which recorded 84% delays and 11 cancellations in its operations. Other airlines such as Arik Air, Dana Air, Air Peace, Aero Contractors, and Green Africa also recorded significant delays in their operations. For international operations, airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Kenyan Airways, Air Cote D’Ivoire, and EgyptAir also recorded a high percentage of delays.
Travel expert and the organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ambassador Ikechi Uko, attributed the increase in passenger traffic to several factors, including pent-up travel due to the easing of COVID-19 airport protocols, insecurity that prompted many to choose air travel as the only option, and political campaigns in preparation for the 2023 elections.
The rise in passenger traffic at Nigeria’s airports in 2022 is a positive sign of growth in the country’s travel industry, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The data also highlights the need for improvements in the aviation sector, especially in reducing the number of cancellations and delays.
