Air Peace records 1,330 delays as 59.9% of 7,961 domestic operations are disrupted
United Nigeria Airlines among carriers with highest number of affected flights
Daud Olatunji
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has disclosed that domestic airlines delayed 4,765 flights and cancelled 36 others in August 2026, highlighting the persistent challenge of flight disruptions in the country’s aviation sector.
The regulator said 15 domestic carriers operated 7,961 flights during the month, with delays accounting for 59.9 per cent of the total operations.
The NCAA disclosed the figures in its monthly summary of domestic airline operations released on Sunday through its official X handle.
According to the report, Air Peace operated the highest number of flights, recording 1,864 operations in August. Of these, 1,330 were delayed, representing 71.4 per cent of its total flights during the period.
The airline was followed among the carriers experiencing significant disruptions by United Nigeria Airlines, although the NCAA’s published summary was not reproduced in full in the material available to PLATFORM TIMES.
The scale of the disruptions means that more than half of all domestic flights operated during the month did not depart according to schedule, potentially affecting thousands of passengers travelling for business, official engagements, family commitments and other purposes.
Flight delays have remained a major source of complaints among air travellers in Nigeria, with passengers frequently citing prolonged waiting times, missed connections and uncertainty over departure schedules.
The latest figures also come amid renewed regulatory enforcement by the NCAA on passenger-rights issues.
Only days before the release of the August domestic operations figures, the aviation regulator sanctioned RwandAir N15m over a consumer protection violation involving a passenger’s damaged baggage.
NCAA spokesman, Michael Achimugu, said the sanction was imposed after the airline failed to resolve the baggage complaint within the stipulated period.
In addition to the fine, the regulator directed RwandAir to replace the damaged baggage and pay the affected passenger $170 as first-need compensation.
The NCAA said the action was in line with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023, which provides for consumer protection, compensation and other remedies for passengers affected by baggage-related incidents.
The regulator stressed that airlines were required to treat passengers’ complaints promptly and comply with established consumer protection regulations.
The latest intervention underscores the NCAA’s growing emphasis on enforcing passenger rights as the aviation industry continues to grapple with operational disruptions.
For domestic travellers, however, the August statistics present a broader concern, as the high proportion of delayed flights raises questions about the reliability and predictability of air travel schedules across Nigerian airports.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that while flight delays may arise from several operational, weather, technical and regulatory factors, the NCAA’s monthly figures provide an important indicator of the level of disruption experienced by passengers across the domestic aviation market.
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