Nigeria’s emergence as Africa’s second-largest domestic aviation market, reflects the nation role as a key commercial hub on the continent, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku, has said.
Kuku disclosed this while speaking at the ACI Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition held in Luanda, where she highlighted Nigeria’s rising profile in Africa’s aviation ecosystem.
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She disclosed that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, recorded an 11.8 per cent increase in air traffic movements in 2025, ranking among the fastest-growing airports on the continent.
“The latest rankings presented during this conference show that Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, recorded one of the strongest performances in air traffic movements in Africa in 2025, growing by 11.8 per cent, one of the fastest growth rates among the continent’s top airports. In cargo, Lagos stood out even more strongly, ranking among Africa’s leading cargo airports and recording an impressive 34.4 per cent growth, the highest increase within the top 10,” she said.
Kuku added that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport also ranked among the top 10 airports in Africa for domestic passenger traffic.
Strategic Role
The FAAN boss stressed that the figures reflected Nigeria’s growing importance as a regional hub for travel, trade, and logistics.
“These are not just statistics. They reflect the growing strategic importance of Nigeria as a key aviation, logistics, and commercial hub on the continent. In domestic traffic as well, Nigeria continues to demonstrate scale and relevance,” she stated.
She further noted that Nigeria’s performance aligned with broader continental trends, including rising passenger demand and improved cargo throughput across key African gateways.
“Across Africa, aviation continues to prove its value as a driver of development. Our airports are gateways to opportunity, and their performance increasingly reflects the wider ambitions of our continent,” Kuku stated.
Future-Ready Airports
Looking ahead, Kuku emphasised the need for innovation, collaboration, and long-term planning to sustain growth in the aviation sector.
“What has been especially clear from our discussions here in Luanda is that the future of African aviation will depend not only on infrastructure but also on partnership, innovation, resilience, and the courage to think long term,” she told the participants.
She announced that Nigeria would host the next ACI Africa conference in Abuja from September 19 to 25, 2026, under the theme Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.
She said the Abuja conference would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to explore strategies for attracting investment, improving operations, and building resilient, technology-driven airport systems across the continent.
“This sends a very important message: Nigeria is not only preparing to host Africa; Nigeria is also actively participating in shaping the future of African air connectivity,” Kuku added.
