Travel News

by Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos

Passenger traffic through Nigeria’s airports recorded mixed performance in 2024, with domestic travel declining while international passenger movement rose, according to data released by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The rise in international passengers in the last three years (2022, 2023 and 2024) under review indicated the pattern of Japa syndrome as many Nigerians travelled out of the country in search of greener pastures.

While the 2025 figure is yet to be released, analysts said recent global restrictions and stringent conditions might have reduced the Japa syndrome.

The data showed that FAAN processed 12.54 million domestic passengers across the country’s airports in 2024, representing a 6.46 per cent decline from the 13.5 million passengers recorded in 2023.

This was in response to the recent hike in air fares which have reduced the number of people travelling domestically.

In contrast, international passenger traffic increased to 4.33 million, reflecting a 6.4 per cent growth over the 4 million passengers recorded in the previous year.

In year 2022 to 2023: Domestic traffic fell from 14,519,565 to 13,409,701, representing a 7.6 percent decrease.

 A breakdown of domestic passenger traffic revealed that Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, handled 4,134,211 passengers, while Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja (domestic wing) processed 4,372,091 passengers.

Port Harcourt Airport recorded 1,026,060 passengers, Kano Airport handled 514,460, and Enugu Airport processed 493,510 passengers.

Further figures showed that Owerri Airport recorded 414,290 passengers, Benin Airport handled 353,350, Maiduguri Airport processed 180,149, Yola Airport recorded 161,847, Ilorin Airport handled 143,562, while Sokoto Airport processed 144,047 passengers.

Calabar Airport recorded 130,982 passengers, Ibadan Airport handled 97,439, Akure Airport processed 85,017, Kaduna Airport recorded 57,156, Jos Airport handled 39,496, and Gombe Airport processed 32,778 passengers.

Other airports with lower traffic volumes included Bauchi Airport with 21,897 passengers, Makurdi Airport with 8,182, Minna Airport with 3,013, and Katsina Airport which processed 44,830 passengers in the year under review.

On the international front, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, remained the busiest, recording 3,006,102 international passengers, up from 2,656,109 in 2023. Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, handled 1,070,548 passengers, slightly lower than the 1,114,230 recorded in 2023.

Kano International Airport processed 211,671 passengers, down from 251,541 in the previous year, while Enugu Airport recorded 33,516 passengers, compared to 38,051 in 2023. Port Harcourt International Airport handled 10,827 passengers, marginally lower than the 10,902 recorded in the preceding year.

The figures highlight a shifting travel pattern in 2024, with international travel gaining momentum amid a slowdown in domestic passenger movement, likely reflecting rising airfare costs, economic pressures, and changing travel preferences among Nigerians.

Meanwhile, following the rise in e-commerce, Lagos and Abuja airports processed a combined 71,802,405kg of mail movement, with imports accounting for 67,039,694kg (93.4%) and exports 4,762,711kg (6.6%) in 2024.

Lagos dominated with 71,670,101kg, while Abuja managed only 132,303kg, a percentage difference of 99.8%. This highlights the concentration of mail movement in Nigeria’s primary airports.

Among the country’s five major international airports, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, only Lagos and Abuja recorded meaningful mail activity. Kano, Port Harcourt, and Enugu handled negligible volumes, a trend mirrored by declining cargo and passenger traffic. Lagos continues to be the logistical hub, while Abuja serves as a smaller secondary gateway.

According to the three-year mail data revealed by FAAN, in 2023, total mail at Lagos and Abuja was 71,234,596kg, with Lagos handling 67,603,250kg of imports (95%) and 3,468,260kg of exports (5%), while Abuja recorded 84,327kg of imports (51%) and 78,906kg of exports (49%). Lagos’s volume exceeded Abuja’s by over 99%, emphasising the skew toward Lagos.

In 2022, the pattern was even more pronounced. Lagos managed 76,238,625kg (99.9%) of total mail, compared with Abuja’s 102,522kg (0.1%). Imports comprised 70,422,531kg (92.2%), while exports were 5,918,615kg (7.8%). The dominance of Lagos has been consistent, reinforcing its role as the central hub for mail movement.