NCAA Exposes Scale of Flight Delays by Airlines in Nigeria
- NCAA data showed that out of 7,961 domestic flights operated in August 2026, 4,765 were delayed and 36 were cancelled
- United Nigeria Airlines recorded the highest delay rate among major carriers, with over 76% of its flights arriving late
- NCAA's Michael Achimugu accused airlines of abandoning passengers during disruptions and ignoring refund obligations under aviation regulations
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The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has publicly criticised domestic airlines for neglecting passengers when flights are disrupted, citing data showing that nearly 60% of all domestic flights in August 2026 were delayed.
NCAA figures for August recorded 4,765 delayed flights and 36 cancellations out of a total of 7,961 domestic operations, putting the delay rate at roughly 59.8%.
The numbers lay bare the scale of operational difficulties passengers routinely face on Nigerian routes.
Source: Getty Images
Airlines named for high delay rates
- United Nigeria Airlines: 943 out of 1,231 flights were delayed, giving the airline a 76.6% delay rate.
- Air Peace: 1,330 out of 1,864 flights were delayed, representing a 71.4% delay rate.
- Enugu Air: 66.3% of its flights were delayed.
- Arik Air: 62.5% of its flights were delayed.
- Max Air: 60.7% of its flights were delayed.
- Overland Airways: 58.2% of its flights were delayed.
- ValueJet: 56.7% of its flights were delayed.
NCAA accuses airlines of abandoning obligations
Michael Achimugu, director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, said airlines were breaching Part 19 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, which spells out their duties to passengers during disruptions.
Achimugu said:
"We all know that disruptions must happen. Anywhere in the world, there's no amount of emotional blackmail that will lead me to say anything else..
"However, we also know that when these disruptions happen, there are duties of care and there are processes for passenger handling that the airline needs to carry out. In this regard, the airline unequivocally has failed."
He said airlines were required to offer light refreshments within two hours of a delay and a proper meal after six hours, but these provisions were routinely ignored. Timely communication with passengers was also flagged as a persistent failure.
Achimugu also said airline staff had a pattern of disappearing from airports when disruptions became severe, leaving NCAA officials to manage frustrated passengers directly.
He said:
"Every time there's a major crisis, there's fear of resorting to violence, their staff, they disappear."
Source: Getty Images
Refunds and compensation fall short
The NCAA also raised concerns about unresolved refund requests. Achimugu said a 48-hour refund commitment made by airline operators had not translated into practice, with a significant backlog of unresolved claims still on record.
On compensation for denied boarding due to overbooking, he said some carriers were offering discounts on future tickets rather than the prescribed cash compensation.
He said:
"All the airline does is offer the passenger 25% rebate on your next ticket, not minding whether that passenger ever wants to fly the airline again or not."
The regulator said it would continue enforcing passenger protection rules and pressed airlines to improve both schedule reliability and the quality of care provided when disruptions occur.
New airfares emerge for Lagos to Abuja, other major routes
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Local airfares have surged by more than 100% amid a shortage of aircraft, leaving many passengers struggling to secure seats.
Despite the high fares, several airlines are already fully booked on high-demand routes.
Checks on airline websites indicate that flights to popular destinations such as Asaba, Anambra, Owerri, Port Harcourt, and Enugu are already sold out.
Source: Legit.ng
