Nigeria’s domestic disruptions intensified in August 2026, with airlines recording 4,765 delayed flights, according to the NCAA. The airlines operated 7,961 domestic flights during the month, while 36 flights were cancelled. The figures mean that about six in every ten flights faced delays, highlighting persistent punctuality challenges across Nigeria’s domestic aviation market.
The domestic disruptions data comes from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s Summary of Domestic Airline Flight Disruption Operations for August 2026. It provides a breakdown of delays by duration and airline. Therefore, the figures offer a clearer picture of both the scale and severity of the month’s domestic disruptions.
Domestic disruptions deepened by August 11 industrial action
The figures came during a month that also saw a major industrial dispute disrupt airline operations. On August 11, aviation unions picketed airline operations in Lagos and Abuja, affecting Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines among others.
Of the 4,765 delayed flights, 2,801 were delayed between 16 minutes and one hour. Another 1,322 flights experienced delays lasting between one and two hours. Meanwhile, 407 flights were delayed between two and three hours, while 235 suffered delays of three hours or more.
Domestic disruptions reveal serious punctuality gap
The domestic disruption figures show that delays were far more significant than cancellations during August. While only 36 flights were cancelled, 4,765 flights were recorded as delayed by the NCAA. Consequently, the main operational challenge for passengers was not whether flights operated, but whether they operated on time.
Overall, 59.9 per cent of the 7,961 flights recorded during the month were delayed. That leaves approximately 40 per cent of operations outside the delayed category. The figures therefore underline the scale of punctuality problems confronting passengers and airlines across the domestic network.
The severity of the delays is also noteworthy. A combined 642 flights were delayed for at least two hours. This represents approximately 13.5 per cent of all delayed flights recorded during August.
The 235 flights delayed for three hours or more represented almost five per cent of all delayed flights. They also accounted for roughly three per cent of total domestic flights operated during the month. Therefore, the disruption extended beyond short schedule adjustments.
Air Peace records
Air Peace recorded the highest number of domestic disruptions in the NCAA report. The airline operated 1,864 flights during August, with 1,330 recorded as delayed. That represents approximately 71.4 per cent of its total operations.
The airline recorded 666 delays lasting between 16 minutes and one hour. Another 400 delays lasted between one and two hours, while 156 flights experienced delays between two and three hours. In addition, 108 Air Peace flights were delayed for three hours or more. Air Peace also recorded seven cancellations during the month.
United Nigeria
United Nigeria Airlines recorded 943 delayed flights from 1,231 operations. That represents a delay rate of approximately 76.6 per cent. Among the airlines with substantial operations, it was the highest proportion recorded in the August data.
The airline recorded 442 delays between 16 minutes and one hour. Another 344 flights were delayed between one and two hours, while 116 experienced delays between two and three hours. A further 41 flights were delayed for at least three hours. United Nigeria also recorded eight cancellations.
Enugu Air records 582 delayed flights
Enugu Air operated 878 flights during August and recorded 582 delays. Its delay rate stood at approximately 66.3 per cent. The airline therefore recorded delays on more than six out of every ten flights it operated.
The NCAA recorded 343 Enugu Air delays between 16 minutes and one hour. Another 153 lasted between one and two hours, while 40 flights experienced delays between two and three hours. Importantly, 46 flights were delayed for three hours or more.
That gave Enugu Air the second-highest number of severe delays. The airline also recorded four cancellations during the month.
Value Jet and Ibom Air show contrasting figures
Value Jet operated 767 flights and recorded 435 delays during August. Its delay rate was approximately 56.7 per cent. The airline recorded 313 delays between 16 minutes and one hour, followed by 98 delays lasting between one and two hours.
Another 20 Value Jet flights were delayed between two and three hours. Four flights experienced delays of at least three hours. The airline also recorded three cancellations, adding to the month’s overall domestic disruptions.
Ibom Air recorded a lower delay rate than several larger operators. The airline operated 560 flights, with 254 delayed, representing approximately 45.4 per cent of its operations. The airline recorded three cancellations during August.
August 2026 figures at a glance
Other airlines also record significant delays
Arik operated 301 flights and recorded 188 delays. That represents approximately 62.5 per cent of its operations. The airline also recorded one cancellation during the month.
Max Air operated 336 flights, with 204 delayed. Its delay rate was approximately 60.7 per cent. The airline recorded 15 delays between two and three hours and eight delays lasting three hours or more.
Overland Airways recorded 139 delays from 239 flights. Its domestic disruptions rate was approximately 58.2 per cent. Rano Air recorded 216 delays from 503 flights, giving it a delay rate of approximately 42.9 per cent.
Aero operated 469 flights and recorded 246 delays. That represented about 52.5 per cent of its operations. Green Africa recorded 114 delays from 226 flights, while Binani recorded 22 delays from 57 flights.
Umza Air records lowest delay rate
Umza Air recorded the lowest domestic disruptions rate among airlines with substantial operations in the NCAA report. It operated 403 flights, of which 52 were delayed. Its delay rate was approximately 12.9 per cent.
All 52 Umza Air delays fell within the 16-minute-to-one-hour category. The NCAA recorded no Umza Air flight delayed beyond one hour. The airline also recorded no cancellations during August.
XE Jet recorded 40 delays from 127 flights. Its delay rate was approximately 31.5 per cent. NGEagle, meanwhile, had no flight-operation figures recorded in the NCAA domestic disruptions table.
