Nigeria’s aviation sector is posting one of its strongest growth signals in recent months, with Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) emerging as Africa’s fastest-growing major airport by scheduled seat capacity in September 2026.
MMIA has 470,000 scheduled seats available this month, an increase of 90,600 seats from September 2025 and a year-on-year growth rate of 24.1%, according to the OAG African Aviation Market Data for September 2026.
The Lagos airport outpaced Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport, which recorded the second-highest growth rate among the continent’s 10 largest airports at 13.5%, after adding 87,500 seats.
MMIA’s growth is particularly notable because it comes despite the airport ranking ninth in absolute scheduled capacity among the continent’s 10 largest gateways.
Cairo International Airport remained Africa’s largest, with 1.79 million scheduled seats, up 11.2% year-on-year. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport followed with 1.19 million seats, representing 6.5% growth, while Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport recorded 1.16 million, up 5%.
Cape Town International Airport had 590,000 seats, up 11.3%, followed by Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers with 580,000, up 3.8%. Marrakech Menara Airport recorded 530,000 seats, an increase of 10.5%, while Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport reached 520,000, up 11.9%. Tunis-Carthage International Airport had 460,000 seats, representing 8.2% growth.
The expansion in Lagos reflects a shift across Nigeria’s aviation market, which recorded the fastest capacity growth among Africa’s top 10 aviation markets during the month.
Nigeria added 322,800 scheduled airline seats, taking national capacity to 1.19 million, compared with 864,100 seats in September 2025. The increase represents 37.4% year-on-year growth.
Egypt recorded a larger absolute increase of 364,800 seats, reaching 3.08 million, but its growth rate was 13.4%. South Africa added 151,200 seats to reach 2.43 million, Morocco increased by 188,000 to 2.07 million, and Ethiopia added 83,500 to reach 1.41 million.
Tanzania’s capacity rose by 77,100 seats to 733,000, Algeria added 74,600 to reach 1.05 million, Kenya increased by 6,900 to 833,100, Tunisia gained 24,500 to reach 789,800, while Ghana added 34,600 seats to reach 302,100.
OAG attributed Nigeria’s rapid expansion to currency reforms, a new aircraft leasing agreement and growing confidence among airlines looking to serve the country.
The market’s recent trajectory supports that assessment. Nigeria’s scheduled capacity had already increased 44.5% year-on-year in July to 1.22 million seats, with domestic capacity rising 54.8% to 921,100.
At MMIA, scheduled capacity moved from 417,622 seats in June to 480,000 in August before settling at 470,000 in September. The airport added about 62,400 seats between June and August, while its August capacity was 25.6% higher than a year earlier.
The airline segment is also contributing to the expansion. Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, increased its scheduled seat capacity by 54.7% year-on-year in September to 354,804 seats.
The carrier added 125,400 seats compared with September 2025 and returned to Africa’s top 10 airlines by scheduled capacity.
The Federal Government’s approval in May for the establishment of the Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company could provide additional support for this growth by improving domestic airlines’ access to aircraft. The company will operate as a privately funded and managed Special Purpose Vehicle with strategic government backing.
Across Africa, scheduled airline capacity reached 25.8 million seats in September, up 9.4% year-on-year. International capacity accounted for 78% of the total, while domestic capacity grew by 11.6%.
Against that continental backdrop, Nigeria’s numbers stand out. The combination of rising airline capacity, stronger domestic operations, increased activity at MMIA and Air Peace’s rapid expansion points to a market becoming increasingly important to Africa’s aviation network.
For Lagos, the immediate headline is clear: MMIA may not be the continent’s largest airport by seat capacity, but in September, it was Africa’s fastest-growing major aviation gateway.
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