Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines recorded the highest number of delayed domestic flights in August, as the Nigerian aviation industry experienced 4,765 flight delays during the month.
The latest figures released by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) showed that the two airlines accounted for a combined 2,273 delayed flights out of 3,095 operations recorded by them.
Air Peace had 1,330 delayed flights from 1,864 operations, while United Nigeria Airlines recorded 943 delays from 1,231 flights.
Enugu Air ranked third, with 582 delayed flights out of 878 operations, while Value Jet recorded 435 delays from 767 flights.
According to the NCAA's August 2026 summary of domestic airline flight disruption operations, Aero had 246 delayed flights from 469 operations, while Ibom Air recorded 254 delays out of 560 flights.
Arik Air recorded 188 delayed flights from 301 operations, while Max Air had 204 delays from 336 flights. Rano Air recorded 216 delays out of 503 operations.
Other carriers also reported significant disruptions. Overland had 139 delayed flights from 239 operations, Green Africa recorded 114 delays from 226 flights, while Xe Jet had 40 delays from 127 operations.
Binani recorded 22 delays from 57 flights, while Umza Air had 52 delayed flights from 403 operations. NGEAGLE recorded no flight operations during the period.
Overall, domestic airlines operated 7,961 flights in August, with 4,765, representing nearly 60 per cent, experiencing delays.
The NCAA said 2,801 of the delayed flights were held up for between 16 minutes and one hour, while 1,322 experienced delays of between one and two hours.
Another 407 flights were delayed for between two and three hours, while 235 flights suffered delays of three hours or more.
The regulator also recorded 36 flight cancellations during the month.
United Nigeria Airlines recorded the highest number of cancellations, with eight, followed by Air Peace with seven and Enugu Air with four.
The development comes amid growing concerns over persistent flight disruptions, crew shortages and other consumer-related infractions in the domestic aviation sector.
On September 10, NCAA Director-General, Chris Najomo, warned airlines to ensure that their published flight schedules were consistent with the aircraft and crew available to operate them.
Najomo questioned the effectiveness of existing scheduling buffers against the backdrop of recurring delays and cancellations.
While acknowledging that factors such as adverse weather, flight diversions and airport restrictions could contribute to disruptions, he stressed the need for airlines to have adequate contingency plans.
He also called for improved communication with passengers whenever delays or cancellations occur.
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