Foreign airlines are raking in an estimated $1.7 billion yearly from Nigeria’s international air transport market, dominating routes with 200 weekly flight frequencies and over 54,000 seats.
According to the 2025 Weekly Foreign Airlines Flight Frequencies report, 18 foreign carriers – including Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines – control nearly 90% of the market share, leaving Nigerian carriers with just 9.96%.
Ethiopian Airlines leads with the highest seat capacity of 8,275 weekly, followed closely by Emirates Airlines with 6,314 seats, while other major operators such as KLM, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, and Delta Airlines maintain strong presence across Nigeria’s five international airports.
By contrast, Nigerian flag carriers, led by Air Peace, provide only 5,498 weekly seats, mostly on regional and a few international routes.
Industry experts say the imbalance underscores the urgent need to reciprocate bilateral agreements, strengthen local capacity, and support indigenous airlines to compete in the lucrative market.