Nigeria’s flight disruption crisis extends beyond airlines, as the Chief Commercial Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Mr. Adedayo Olawuyi has urged regulators to separate controllable and uncontrollable causes before holding airlines responsible for delays.
Olawuyi said airport congestion, inadequate infrastructure, bad weather and other factors beyond airlines control contribute significantly to flight disruptions. He also challenged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) presentation of August 2026 delay data, arguing that the figures require greater context.
He spoke during Aviation Day at the 23rd Akwaaba African Travel Market in Lagos. The session focused on delayed and cancelled flights, passenger rights and the airline perspective.
Beyond Airlines, Airport Congestion Drives Delays
Olawuyi said airlines accept responsibility for disruptions within their control. However, he argued that many delays originate from conditions outside an airline’s direct control.
“There are many reasons that lead to cancellations and delays of flights in Nigeria’s aviation sector,” Olawuyi said. “I would first like to speak about the infrastructure that we have.”
He compared airport congestion to living in a five-bedroom apartment with only one parking space. He said similar bottlenecks occur when several aircraft compete for limited airport infrastructure during busy periods.
“So, if you get to the ramp early in the morning, there are times when the aircraft is blocked from moving simply because there are many operators operating today,” he said.
Olawuyi gave the example of a flight that pushed back at 6:59 a.m. but did not take off until 7:38 a.m. He said the aircraft was scheduled to arrive in Abuja at 8 a.m., meaning the congestion had already created a 40-minute delay.
He stressed that airlines do not deliberately delay flights. “Airlines don’t want to intentionally delay flights but the challenges we face are what brings about these delays,” Olawuyi said.
Technical Faults Also Affect Flight Schedules
Olawuyi also identified technical challenges as another source of flight disruptions.
“Sometimes we have technical challenges,” he said. “When these technical challenges occur, we must maintain the safety of that flight and ensure that everything is properly done.”
He said the distinction between controllable and uncontrollable causes remains important when assessing airline performance. Otherwise, he argued, passengers and regulators may attribute every disruption to the carrier operating the flight.
Weather Creates Delays Beyond Airlines
Weather was another major factor highlighted by the UNA executive. He said adverse conditions can disrupt a flight even after an aircraft has departed its origin.
Olawuyi recalled a recent United Nigeria Airlines flight from Lagos to Kano. The flight was scheduled to leave Lagos at 8 p.m., but poor weather in Kano initially prevented its departure.
The aircraft eventually left Lagos at about 10:30 p.m. However, after flying to Kano, it could not land because a thunderstorm disabled the runway lighting system.
The aircraft therefore returned to Lagos and landed at about 1 a.m., according to Olawuyi. “That’s not the fault of the airline,” he said.
He added that the situation becomes more difficult because many Nigerian airports do not support full night operations. “In Nigeria today, the bulk of the airports we operate in are dusk-to-dawn operations,” Olawuyi said.
He explained that when earlier delays push a flight into the night, airlines can eventually be forced to cancel. Therefore, the issue extends beyond airline scheduling to airport infrastructure and operating capability.
Olawuyi Faults NCAA August Delay Data
Olawuyi also questioned the interpretation of the NCAA’s August 2026 flight disruption figures, which reported 4,765 delayed domestic flights and 36 cancellations from 7,961 flights operated by 15 carriers during the month.
He argued that the headline figure does not adequately show which delays were caused by airlines and which resulted from factors beyond airlines’ control.
According to him, the data should first distinguish controllable disruptions from those caused by external factors beyond airlines, including airport congestion, weather and infrastructure limitations.
He said separating both categories would provide a clearer assessment of airline performance and show where responsibility lies beyond airlines across the wider aviation ecosystem.
“When you remove the controllable delays and you have a high number of 60%, then you can say the problem is the airlines,” he said.
Olawuyi therefore called for responsibility across the wider aviation ecosystem. He said airports, regulators and other stakeholders should also examine their contribution to the disruption figures.
Despite his defence of airlines, Olawuyi said passengers must understand their rights when flights are delayed or cancelled.
ValueJet Backs Beyond Airlines Argument
The Chief Commercial Officer of ValueJet, Mr. Trevor Henry, also supported the argument that flight disruptions have multiple causes.
Henry identified presidential movements, weather and congestion at airport check-in points among the factors affecting flight schedules. He also cited congestion at boarding lounges because of security checks.
According to Henry, congestion can continue even after passengers have boarded. Aircraft may then face further delays while taxiing towards the runway, particularly during busy morning periods.
“Delays and cancellations are usually caused by issues like presidential movements, weather, airport congestion at check-in, congestion at the boarding lounge due to security checks, and congestion at the boarding gate,” Henry said.
He added that aircraft could also encounter congestion between the taxiway and runway before take-off.
MM2 Proposes Slot System to Cut Congestion
In response to one of the factors: congestion, the Chief Operating Officer of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MM2), Mr. Remi Jibodu, proposed a coordinated slot system to tackle airport congestion.
Jibodu said thousands of passengers converge on airports during peak morning periods. He noted that more than 10 airlines can sometimes schedule flights around 7 a.m.
According to him, such concentration makes delays almost inevitable because airport facilities must handle large numbers of passengers and aircraft within a short period.
“What we can do at that point in time is to have a coordinated system,” Jibodu said.
He proposed collaboration between airports and airlines to stagger departure times. The objective would be to reduce the concentration of aircraft and passengers at the same time.
“The truth is that at this point, we have to look at the slot system to see how we can coordinate it,” Jibodu said.
“It may not be a full slot system, but we must be able to give a little bit of concession to that,” he said.
The proposal provides a practical response to one of the major factors identified by Olawuyi. It reinforces the need to look beyond airlines by addressing airport congestion through greater coordination between airport operators and carriers.
