About 60 per cent of domestic flights operated by Nigerian airlines in August 2026 were delayed, according to the latest report from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.
The NCAA recorded 4,765 delayed flights out of 7,961 domestic operations during the month, leaving roughly 40 per cent of flights operating without delays.
The report also showed that 36 flights were cancelled in August, representing less than one per cent of total operations.
Of the delayed flights, 2,801 experienced delays of between 16 minutes and one hour, while 1,322 were delayed for between one and two hours. Another 407 flights were delayed for two to three hours, while 235 faced delays of at least three hours.
Air Peace recorded the highest number of delayed flights, with 1,330 delays from 1,864 flights operated during the month. This means about 71 per cent of its operations were delayed.
United Nigeria Airlines recorded 943 delayed flights from 1,231 operations, representing about 77 per cent of its total flights.
Enugu Air had 582 delays from 878 flights, while Value Jet recorded 435 delays out of 767 operations.
Aero Contractors operated 469 flights, with 246 delayed, while Arik Air recorded 188 delays from 301 flights.
Rano Air had 216 delayed flights out of 503 operations, while Ibom Air recorded 254 delays from 560 flights.
The NCAA report also listed Green Africa Airways, Max Air, Overland Airways, Umza Air, Binani Air and XeJet among the airlines that operated during the period.
Green Africa recorded 114 delays from 226 flights, while Max Air had 204 delayed flights out of 336 operations. Overland Airways recorded 139 delays from 239 flights, while Umza Air had 52 delays from 403 operations.
Binani Air recorded 22 delayed flights from 57 operations, while XeJet had 40 delays out of 127 flights.
Several airlines also recorded cancellations during the month. United Nigeria Airlines had the highest number with eight, followed by Air Peace with seven. Enugu Air recorded four cancellations, while Max Air had four. Green Africa, Ibom Air and Rano Air each recorded three cancellations, while Value Jet had three.
The high number of delays once again highlights the operational difficulties facing Nigeria’s domestic aviation industry, with passengers frequently having their travel plans disrupted by issues ranging from aircraft technical problems to bird strikes.
The NCAA regularly publishes flight disruption figures as part of its efforts to monitor airline operations and promote compliance with consumer protection and aviation standards.
NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, also confirmed that some Air Peace aircraft are currently grounded.
According to Achimugu, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer confirmed the situation during a recent meeting with the authority.
He explained that although Air Peace may have 24 aircraft in its fleet, not all of them are currently available for operations because of technical issues and incidents such as bird strikes.
The development further highlights the importance of aircraft availability and maintenance in reducing disruptions across Nigeria’s aviation sector.
