Less than one million Nigerians actively travel by air despite an estimated 14 million airline seats being sold annually on domestic routes, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed.
The NCAA’s Director of Airworthiness, Godwin Balang, made the revelation on Wednesday at the International Conference Fellowship Conferment organised by the Institute of Nigerian Aeronautical Engineers (INAE) in Lagos.
The conference was themed, “Aeronautical Engineering and National Development: Repositioning the Nigerian Aviation Industry.”
Balang explained that the number of airline seats sold each year does not reflect the actual number of people who fly because many passengers purchase return tickets and travel multiple times annually.
According to him, domestic airlines sell an average of 14 million seats every year. However, if all passengers purchase only one return ticket, the figure drops to about seven million individual travellers.
He added that many passengers buy more than one return ticket each year, further reducing the number of unique travellers to about one million.
“Today, I tell you, less than one million, or about one million, people actually actively fly,” Balang said.
He also reflected on Nigeria’s aviation history, noting that the country has been involved in aviation for a century.
According to him, the first aircraft landed in Nigeria in 1925, marking 100 years of aviation activities in the country.
Balang said Nigeria has accumulated significant aviation experience over the years despite challenges facing the industry.
He noted that without visible evidence such as the country’s Air Force and the former Nigeria Airways, many people might underestimate Nigeria’s long history in aviation.
Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, said aeronautical engineers remain central to ensuring safety and operational excellence in the aviation industry.
Najomo, who was represented by the NCAA’s Lagos Regional Manager, Olubukola Teriba, commended the Institute of Nigerian Aeronautical Engineers for promoting technical excellence, ethical practice, engineering education and indigenous capacity development.
She said every certificate of airworthiness, aircraft maintenance programme, repair approval and safety inspection depends on the competence and integrity of aeronautical engineers.
Teriba stressed that engineering excellence is not only a technical requirement but also a critical safety obligation.
She added that regulators and industry professionals share the responsibility of ensuring engineering standards continue to evolve in line with rapid technological advancements in the aviation sector.
