AdminAir Peace was the Nigerian airline with the highest number of passengers in 2024, according to a report by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
This was followed by Arik Air, which emerged as the second-highest in terms of passenger traffic.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to the NCAA passenger traffic data, there were 15.6 million passengers in 2024, which is almost 200,000 short of the 15.8 million passengers that were recorded in 2023.
Out of the 15.6 million passenger traffic recorded in 2024, Air Peace and Arik Air combined to net one-third.
While Air Peace maintained the lead as the dominant carrier, transporting 3,114,040 passengers (with 1,544,492 inbound and 1,569,548 outbound travellers), Arik Air followed with a total of 2,239,176 passengers (including 1,112,358 inbound and 1,126,818 outbound), during the period under review.
Ibom Air recorded 1,323,974 passengers, while Aero Contractors transported 964,900. Other domestic airlines included the suspended Dana Air with 299,040 passengers, Green Africa with 389,399, and Max Air with 915,918.
International Routes
The passenger movement report showed that Nigeria recorded 4,135,830 travellers on international routes, comprising both inbound and outbound passengers, while domestic airlines carried 11,549,443 passengers.
READ ALSO: Air Peace Reduces Lagos-London Airfare By ₦600,000
With 531,086 passengers—257,716 inbound and 273,370 outbound—Qatar Airways carried the most passengers on international routes. This is followed by Ethiopian Airlines (460,171 passengers, including 224,363 inbound and 235,808 outbound), British Airways (320,643), and Air France (254,054). Air Peace had 247,893, while KLM recorded 158,321.
Other international carriers included Kenya Airways (115,426 passengers), Lufthansa (248,617), Turkish Airlines (239,371), and Virgin Atlantic (218,254).
Air Peace’s increased patronage is not unrelated to its wider coverage of the nation’s major cities, West Coast operation, and international presence on the London route.
While marking its first anniversary recently, Air Peace announced that it successfully operated over 662 flights carrying 136,661 passengers on the Lagos-London-Lagos route.
